Latest news with #INSPQ
CBC
22-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Lyme disease continues to rise in Quebec and climate change is partially to blame
Cases of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses have been increasing in Quebec for more than a decade, and experts say climate change is partially to blame. With increasing temperatures, ticks are becoming more established, especially in southern Quebec, said Kirsten Crandall, a scientific adviser with the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ). And with host animals moving north, be they birds or deer, ticks are covering a broader range, she said. This is especially true for black-legged ticks which can transmit Lyme, she added. "I think we will definitely be continuing on that rise in the number of different tick-borne diseases," said Crandall. "Lyme disease obviously being the one with the most case numbers." Lyme disease is caused by a bacterium transmitted by the bite of black-legged ticks. The first symptom is usually a single circular rash. "Stage 2 and Stage 3 of Lyme disease can affect your heart, you can have neurological symptoms," said Dr. Donald Vinh, an infectious disease specialist at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). "When it comes to those stages there are antibiotics, but they tend to be more intravenous types of antibiotics. So, it's really important to prevent it." Number of cases rising The number of declared cases of Lyme disease grew from 127 in 2014 to 653 in 2023. But not all were caught in the province. In 2014, 66 cases were acquired in Quebec. In 2023, that number jumped to 562, or 86 per cent. Last year, there were 681 cases declared in Quebec, with 568 infections acquired in the province. As of May 14 of this year, there were 61 reported cases, compared with 68 in the same period last year. Jade Savage, an entomology professor at Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, said Quebec had an early spring last year, which meant ticks were active sooner. This year, spring has come later — meaning the ticks' activity is later. Vinh said Quebecers should expect the annual totals to keep rising. While increased forest excursions and not enough vigilance may play a role, Vinh said another factor is greater awareness among health-care providers that Lyme disease is now endemic in southern Quebec. The black-legged tick population itself has also been growing. Last year, the INSPQ mapped the projected spread to help communities and governments plan for the coming decades. The maps show ticks expanding in areas where they are already found and into northern and eastern regions where they are not usually seen, including Saguenay, the Lower St. Lawrence and the Gaspé. Crandall said rising temperatures will let tick populations thrive even in places that are typically cooler year-round. Black-legged ticks can become active after just a few consecutive days above 0 C. Most Lyme infections are acquired in spring and early summer when young ticks are in the nymph stage and are much harder to spot than adult ticks. Adult ticks are easier to see and are more active in the fall. Crandall said Lyme disease's major endemic regions are the Outaouais, Montérégie and the Eastern Townships. She said cases are also cropping up along the St. Lawrence River valley. According to the Health Ministry, there are only four Quebec regions where ticks aren't established: Côte-Nord, Nord-du-Québec, Nunavik and Terres-Cries-de-la-Baie-James. However, the ministry adds, not all established tick populations carry Lyme. An established tick population is one that returns and continues to thrive after winter. Less worry, more prevention While cases acquired in Quebec are rising, Crandall said Lyme disease isn't necessarily something to worry about, but it is something to adapt to. That's why the INSPQ and Health Ministry are working to educate the public about tick bite prevention, Crandall said. Information about ticks, Lyme disease and tick bite protection can be found on the Health Ministry's website. Savage launched in 2017 with INSPQ and the Public Health Agency of Canada. The tool, which works as an app or on the website, now serves the entire country, letting people report and identify ticks by uploading a photo. The site also offers advice on preventing bites. Although 2025 tick reports are off to a slow start because of cooler weather and later spring, she does not expect that to affect the rest of the season. Last year saw a record number of submissions, though that partly reflects the app's growing popularity. For every 100 submissions, as many as 75 per cent are identified as black-legged ticks. They continue to move into new areas, transported by birds, deer and other hosts, Savage said. "They keep on expanding and they keep on being more numerous, but that is not necessarily a fully linear process," she explained.
CBC
21-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
'It's completely unfair:' Moms in western Quebec fear arsenic emissions from Horne Smelter
Jennifer Turcotte says no one wants to raise kids in a town knowing their backyard, soil and air contain high levels of arsenic. A resident of Rouyn-Noranda, Que., home of the Horne Smelter which has been in operation since 1927, the mom of three says the solution is not as simple as moving away. "It's very complex," said Turcotte, standing outside Quebec's National Assembly, taking part in a protest on Thursday. "We're attached to the area, we love our community… it's extremely difficult to know you have to deal with this risk." For years, residents like Turcotte have been raising awareness about the need to lower arsenic emissions in her hometown. While there have been several studies on the effects of Canada's only copper smelter, a 2022 study by Quebec's Institute of Public Health (INSPQ) confirmed higher rates of cancer and pulmonary diseases are directly linked to high arsenic and cadmium emissions in Rouyn-Noranda due to the Horne Smelter. The co-spokesperson for Mères au front de Rouyn-Noranda, Turcotte is among the locals demanding that those living in the town located in western Quebec face the same level of risk as other Quebecers. Kids particularly vulnerable to toxins In the early 1900s, prospector Edmund Henry Horne discovered copper and gold in the area, which led to mining and the development of the town of Noranda — which later merged with neighbouring Rouyn. The smelter was built in 1926, long before environmental norms were established. It is owned now by Glencore Canada, whose Swiss parent company produces and markets a range of metals and minerals worldwide. In 2024, the smelter announced it was making progress toward reducing arsenic emissions, saying it was down nearly 40 per cent from the year before. The smelter said about 99 per cent of the urban area of Rouyn-Noranda had emissions of 15 nanograms of arsenic per cubic metre of air or below. Meanwhile, Quebec's provincial norm for arsenic emissions is an annual average of three nanograms per cubic metre. In 2021, the smelter was permitted to emit a maximum of 100 nanograms per cubic metre of arsenic into the air, or 33 times the Quebec standard. Arsenic is associated with things like skin, lung, liver and bladder cancer, says Dr. Koren Mann, professor and chair of pharmacology and therapeutics at McGill University. Having studied the effects of arsenic, she says it's also associated with cardiovascular diseases, immune changes and diabetes. "We don't know how long it takes to develop a disease," said Mann. "We don't know if you're exposed as a child and you remove them from the arsenic, does that decrease the risk later on?" She says kids are particularly vulnerable as their brains, bones and immune systems are growing. "These tend to be really vulnerable stages for environmental exposures and environmental toxins," said Mann. 'My children are no less important,' says resident On Thursday, dozens of protesters stood in solidarity in Quebec City — some smearing black paint across their bodies to symbolize the effects of the chemicals on residents. "It's the only place where this [provincial] standard isn't forced to be applied. So it doesn't make sense," said Isabelle Fortin-Rondeau with Mères au front de Rouyn-Noranda. "My children are no less important than children in Quebec City or Montreal. My children's health is no less important than that of the children of elected officials." Fortin-Rondeau says she's not sure she made the right decision moving back to Rouyn-Noranda to raise her family. Having left her hometown for years, she said when she returned home, she wasn't aware of the "extent of the contamination." "I've been exposing my children for an average of 15 years to all these contaminants, and potentially to developing cancer," said Fortin-Rondeau. "I say to myself, 'well, my God, if I knew this, I could have made different choices.'" New biomonitoring program for employees On Thursday, at the same time as the protest in Quebec City, the smelter held a news conference in Rouyn-Noranda to announce an arsenic biomonitoring program to evaluate the exposure of environmental contaminants among its employees, their social circles and families. Measuring concentrations of substances found in participants' urine and fingernails, for example, the company says participation in the study will be voluntary. To participate, employees and their families must contact the teams at Intrinsik — a science-based consulting firm. As part of the announcement, the smelter's general manager, Vincent Plante, said 2018 and 2019 biomonitoring studies left questions unanswered and that the company is looking for more information on the "real internal exposure" of arsenic. The research that has been done so far has provided a very select picture, says Mann. "We don't have even a good handle on what the long-term consequences are," she said. "Residents in Rouyn-Noranda have a higher level of lung cancer than the average Quebec population and yet have lower rates of tobacco smoking … is it the arsenic?" As a resident of the city, Turcotte says she feels the smelter's announcement is part of a strategy to attempt to "dilute what we already know." "We know the risks associated with the contaminants we're exposed to and they're sufficient for the government to enforce standards," she said.
