PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Project Hypothesis: The Swinomish people are exposed to low level, chronic bioaccumulative toxics when participating in subsistence gathering and consumption of shellfish.

Project Goals:

1. determine whether the Swinomish people who eat shellfish harvested from Reservation or U/A areas are exposed to bioaccumulative toxics that cause chronic and acute health risks by testing clams and crabs;

2. if there are health risks, to effectively communicate those risks in a culturally appropriate and effective manner to those who may be exposed;

3. to develop mitigation measures; and,

4. to confirm major health problems on the Reservation that may be related to eating contaminated shellfish and develop hypotheses between the health problems and toxics found, if any, in local clams and crabs.

Both the Swinomish community and other potentially affected Puget Sound area tribes will be involved in the project, sharing findings and discussing mitigation measures to reduce health risks from shellfish consumption.

Background: Several published reports indicate the presence of chemical contamination in the Tribal tidelands and waters as well as in some surrounding areas designated as usual and accustomed (U/A) areas; all of these areas contain sites at which Swinomish people frequently gather shellfish. Chemicals tested for in this project are: Heavy metals (arsenic, copper, cadmium, selenium, mercury, lead, nickel); PCBs (poly-chlorinated biphenyls); PAHs (Polyaromatic hydrocarbons); Dioxins/-furans; Chlorinated pesticides; and TBT (Tributyltin).

Ingestion of these chemicals can cause acute and chronic health problems, leading to such effects as immune system repression, endocrine disruption, and reproductive impairment.

Recent studies published by Puget Sound Tribes have found consumption rates of up to 132.7 grams per day for shellfish alone. In the past, the designated average consumption rate of 6.5 grams per day for fish and shellfish for the average American (approximately one fish meal per month) was used in health risk analyses determining exposure to bioaccumulative toxics, completely overlooking Native American subsistence harvesting and consumption issues.

Native Littleneck and Butter clams were sampled at 15 locations on or near the Reservation in the summer of 2002. Sediment samples were also collected as the same locations. The toxics analyses are completed and the data is still being processed and verified. Sampling of Dungeness crab will be conducted in the summer of 2003. Public education components will be initiated in future years after all the data is analyzed.

Progress Summary/ Accomplishments May 2003: Project is progressing as planned. In the spring of 2002, sediments, butter clams (Saxidomus giganteus), and native littleneck steamer clams (Prototheca staminea) were collected at fifteen traditional harvesting sites with Reservation boundaries and in some usual and accustomed gathering areas. Samples were processed at the Swinomish Environmental Laboratory then shipped to contract laboratories for chemical analysis. Clam collection followed traditional Swinomish procedures, with the majority of the collection performed by tribal members. All sampling equipment was sterilized prior to use in the field. Clam tissue and sediment were analyzed for heavy metals, poly-chlorinated biphenyls aroclors and congeners, polyaromatic hydrocarbons, dioxins/-furans, tributyltin, and chlorinated pesticides. The first set of data validated reports of the laboratory analyses was completed in April 2003.