Has the threat to human health or aquatic life that is posed by Critical Pollutants been defined?
The threat to human health or aquatic life posed by Critical Pollutants is not well-defined in the Stage 1 LaMP. Annex 2 of the Agreement states, in part, that LaMPs “shall include a definition of the threat to human health or aquatic life posed by Critical Pollutants . . . including their contribution to the impairment of beneficial uses . . .” Human health effects observed from exposure to persistent toxic substances (PTSs) were reported by Humphrey (1983). Since that time, there have been a number of epidemiological studies conducted in the Great Lakes Basin (Basin) that are relevant to the Lake Ontario LaMP. Their findings support earlier reports of an association between the consumption of contaminated Great Lakes fish and body burdens of PTSs (Johnson et al. 1998). The body burdens of some consumers are two- to four-fold higher than those in the U.S. general population (Johnson et al. 1998). Some findings include: • at-risk sub-populations, i.e., Native American/First Nation popu
