Possible uses and use restrictions...
To conduct research on the impact on human health of fish consumption in the Great Lakes region. This Program of Research will focus on populations which have been identified to have a higher risk of long-term adverse health effects from exposure to contaminants in Great Lakes fish, i.e., Native Americans, sport anglers, urban poor, the elderly, Asian Americans, racial/ethnic minority populations, fetuses, and nursing infants of mothers who consume contaminated Great Lakes fish. Priority areas of research for this program include: 1. Characterizing exposure and determining the profiles and levels of Great Lakes contaminants in biological tissues and fluids in high-risk populations; 2. Identifying sensitive and specific human health endpoints, i.e., reproductive/developmental, behavioral, endocrinologic, and immunologic effects and correlating them to exposure to Great Lakes contaminants; and 3. Determining the short- and long-term risk(s) of adverse health effects in children which result from parental exposure to Great Lakes contaminants. Proposed projects covering these priority areas should include strategies (risk communication) to inform susceptible populations about the potential human health impact of consuming contaminated fish from the Great Lakes. Based upon research findings, longer term priority areas may include, but are not limited to: 1. Investigating the feasibility of, or establishing, registries and/or surveillance cohorts in the Great Lakes region; and 2. Establishing a chemical mixtures database with emphasis on tissue and blood levels to identify new cohorts, conduct surveillance and health effects studies, and establish registries and/or surveillance cohorts.