Metals in the Human Environment Research Network (2005-2009)

Challenge

Rob Lyng, Manager, Environmental Program, Ontario Power Generation Inc. (OPG), accompanied by Len Ritter, Coordinator of the Metals in the Environment Research Network (MITHE-RN) and Jim Burpee, Senior Vice-President, Electricity Production, OPG, present a cheque for OPG's support of the MITHE-RN program.

Over the past few years, there has been a significant increase in proposed regulatory and international harmonization activities for classifying the hazardous properties of inorganic metal-containing substances. It has been the judgment of the international community (most notably the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), and accepted by the Government of Canada, that Canada is well-suited to provide a leadership role in these deliberations.

Canada has a unique opportunity to ensure that the environmental and health hazards of metals and their compounds be identified and communicated correctly, and with uniformity in the world marketplace. Without this intervention, many sectors of the Canadian economy (e.g., mining and metals, agriculture and energy) may face regulatory censure that does not lead to smaller risk to the environment and human health. Adverse economic consequences for Canadians would likely ensue, due to the emergence of a competitive disadvantage created through the development of inconsistent and confusing regulatory policies in the global marketplace.

The challenge for the Metals in the Human Environment Research Network (MITHE-RN) is to generate new knowledge that supports the development of public policy that is based on evidence.

Network Structure

The Network is organized into three multidisciplinary research themes:

1. Aquatic Ecosystems;
2. Soils and Plants; and
3. Food and Ingested Particles.

These thematic research areas represent a cascade of effects along food webs, from the lowest trophic levels to the highest consumers. The specific metals to be studied in each theme project will be similarly tailored to the project; however, metals and metalloids of prime interest include Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, T1, U, Zn, As and Se.

The Network governance structure includes a Science Steering Committee that draws its membership from academia, government and industry, and is primarily concerned with ensuring the relevance of the Network research; an Expert Advisory Panel that is responsible for an annual peer review of progress and research proposals and is focused on the scientific excellence of the network research activities; and a Board of Directors that has responsibility for overseeing the Network operations, including finances. The Network is administered by the Canadian Network of Toxicology Centres at the University of Guelph.

Research Objectives

The research is divided into the three themes of the Network (Aquatic Ecosystems, Soils and Plants, and Food and Ingested Particles) and addresses metal accumulation in and effects on food webs, from the lowest trophic levels to the highest level consumers. For each of the themes, the same three general objectives shape the research, with a fourth objective of using these and other data for the development of scientifically based deviations from generic soil and water criteria for metals.

Outcomes

• The apportionment of metal uptake or toxicity among multiple routes of exposure.
• The estimation of the bioavailable fraction of metals in the exposure media, thus better quantifying the true biologically relevant exposure.
• The determination of the factors that influence bioavailability of metals in media, so that evidence-based predictive models can be developed for use in the development of site-specific metals guidelines.
• The use of these data, plus other advancements in knowledge that occur outside the Network, to improve site-specific risk assessment for metals in the human environment.

Contact

Donna Warner
Tel.: 519-824-4120, ext. 52950
E-mail: dwarner@uoguelph.ca
Web site:  http://www.mithe-rn.org