Eskimo | Biocultural Science & Management

Anthropology in a climate of change, war, and internecine environments 2

Part 2*** From a follow-up to the newslist discussion about anthropology and climate change–

Q. “So…what can we do to solve this problem? Can we think like engineers?”

Please, don’t. Not even anthropological engineers. For example, see this — Continue reading →

More on (traditional) stone carving and lung hazards HazArt

Posted on 2007 October 9 by mpb | Comments Off

This article comes via NationTalk, native newswire, employment and tender service

Study probes link between soapstone and cancer – Waterloo Record

Forty-six-year-old Jimmy Cookie feels dizzy and has trouble breathing every time he carves into a slab of soapstone.

Now, University of Manitoba researchers are looking at whether Cookie’s lung problems could be linked with the traditional soapstone carving that’s popular in his home community of Sanikiluaq, Nunavut.

http://tinyurl.com/243po7

Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a metamorphic rock, a talc-schist. It was used prior to the invention of pottery or ceramics for bowls in the Americas. It also conducts heat well and is mostly inert, thus its use for stove (cooking) utensils, sinks, and laboratory countertops. Alaska soapstone (now rare) can be transformed into gorgeous sculptures.

Although chemically inert for the most part, the stone is a soft material and scratches easily into fine, fibrous particles (talc, actually. In some rocks, a form of asbestos I believe The soapstone dust composition showed breathable asbestos fibers from the amphibole group (tremolite-actinolite). The results suggest talc asbestosis occurrence among soapstone handicraft workers.). The dust can penetrate lungs deeply and irritate the tissues leading to talcosis or talc pneumoconiosis (similarly to silicosis or asbestosis).

Wikipedia isn’t very helpful on the mineralogy and the physical structure. See the articles cited here–
http://www.hubmed.org/display.cgi?uids=17249489

MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2004 Jul 23;53(28):627-32.
Changing Patterns of Pneumoconiosis Mortality — United States, 1968–2000
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Pneumoconioses are caused by the inhalation and deposition of mineral dusts in the lungs, resulting in pulmonary fibrosis and other parenchymal changes. Many persons with early pneumoconiosis are asymptomatic, but advanced disease often is accompanied by disability and premature death. Known pneumoconioses include coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP), silicosis, asbestosis, mixed dust pneumoconiosis, graphitosis, and talcosis. No effective treatment for these diseases is available. This report describes the temporal patterns of pneumoconiosis mortality during 1968-2000, which indicates an overall decrease in pneumoconiosis mortality. However, asbestosis increased steadily and is now the most frequently recorded pneumoconiosis on death certificates. Increased awareness of this trend is needed among health-care providers, employers, workers, and public health agencies.

See Environment, Safety, and Health (ES&H) of Traditional Indian Artisans and Craftspeople Project (HazArt)

One of the classic cases of cancer from use of minerals in traditional arts is
Malignant mesothelioma. A cluster in a native American pueblo.
Driscoll RJ, Mulligan WJ, Schultz D, Candelaria A
N Engl J Med. 1988 Jun 2; 318(22): 1437-8

Unfortunately, there isn’t a publicly available copy on the Internet and no access to journals in Bethel. As I remember the article–
Mesothelioma is an asbestos caused lung cancer. In this case a cluster was found that had nothing to do with brake repair or mining. Instead, people discovered the fire resistant mat they used for soldering silver jewelery also whitened dance moccasins when used as a buffing surface. In addition, the mat had a tendency to flake after substantial use as a fireproof work surface. The mat was an old-fashioned fire resistant mat, made of asbestos.

Site Search Tags: lungs, carving, arts, asbestosis, Canada, Pueblo, dust, PPE, respirator, mining, Nunavut, Inuit

Traditional foods guide

from NAEP Native Access to Engineering Programme First aboriginal food guide balances traditional, practical

and from CBC [read the entire story here]

http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/04/12/food-guide.html

Canada Food Guide cover small

“Bannock, berries, wild game and canned milk are part of a new version of Canada’s Food Guide, created specifically for First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

“With this guide, First Nations, Inuit and Métis will have a tool to make more informed choices and nurture a healthy future by building on the traditions and values of a proud past and present,” Federal Health Minister Tony Clement said after unveiling the new food guide at a Yellowknife school Wednesday.

What are the main differences between Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide and Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide – First Nations, Inuit and Métis?
Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide – First Nations, Inuit and Métis reflects the importance of both traditional and store-bought foods for Aboriginal people living in Canada.
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/fnim-pnim/index_e.html

Some culturally specific examples of single servings include:

* Leafy vegetables and wild plants: 125 millilitres, cooked; 250 millilitres, raw.
* Berries: 125 millilitres.
* Bannock: 35 grams (a piece about five by five by 2.5 centimetres).
* Traditional meats and wild game: 75 grams, cooked.

“We are pleased to see ‘country food’ being recognized in the Canada Food Guide as an essential element of a nutritious diet for Inuit,” commented Mary Simon, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. “Country food for Inuit includes caribou, Arctic Char, seal, whale, walrus, muskox, ptarmigan, and many other plants, animals, and fish. This Food Guide will be a useful tool to educate Inuit youth across the Arctic and in the South.” http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/nr-cp/2007/2007_44_e.html

Download the guide
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/pubs/fnim-pnim/index_e.html

Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide: First Nations, Inuit and Métis
Health Canada
HC Pub.: 3426
Cat.: H34-159/2007E-PDF
ISBN: 978-0-662-45521-9

Help on accessing alternative formats, such as PDF, MP3 and WAV files, can be obtained. This publication can be made available on request on diskette, large print, audio-cassette and braille (and in French). Contact Publications, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9
E-Mail: [email protected]
Tel.: 1-866-225-0709
TTY: 1-800-267-1245
Fax: (613) 941-5366

Canada First Nations have done some extraordinary nutrition and dietary research.

On-line nutrition course for Inuit communities
http://ykalaska.wordpress.com/2006/12/02/online-nutrition-course/

The Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment (CINE) is an incredible idea. Harriet Kuhnlein, the first director, does excellent work with communities. CINE was one of the models for formulating an autonomous, community-based Center for Human Ecology, (northern Pueblos, New Mexico.)