Yellowknife Garden Metals Study

Read about the Yellowknife Garden Metals Study here:

Yellowknife garden produce safe to eat, contains more nutrients, say researchers | CBC News The findings are based on samples gathered from 47 garden plots in the area in 2020, as part of a two-year study that aims to answer the question: is it safe to eat vegetables grown in gardens around Yellowknife, Ndilǫ and Dettah?

Read about the YKGMS and Year 1 Results here:

Arsenic levels in YK-grown veggies ‘not a concern,’ researchers say Home gardeners in the Yellowknife area, rest easy: your veggies might contain a bit more arsenic than those in the supermarket, but not enough to cause concern.

The Yellowknife Garden Metals Study team has released a summary of Year 1 (2020) aggregated results.

Many thanks to everyone that contributed garden soil and veggies!

Individual participants who participated in the 2020 study will be receiving their personalized results and letters by email in the next two weeks

Mike Palmer will be sharing about the YKGMS this Monday at a lunch and learn hosted by the Yellowknife Farmers Market!

We hope you'll join!

Next Monday, you're invited to our fifth session in the 2021 Lunch & Learn series.

Michael Palmer will join us to share the first year results of the Yellowknife Garden Metals Study, as well as information about the collection of soils and produce during the 2021 season.

The session will take place from 12:10-12:50pm.

The Yellowknife Garden Metals Study is a collaborative project between the Aurora Research Institute, the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, Royal Military College, and Queen’s University that aims to measure levels of arsenic and other mining-associated metals in soils and produce in gardens from Yellowknife, Ndilo, and Dettah.

To receive the Zoom link, register on EventBrite:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/170064350049

Q. What other metals will be tested for in the YK Garden Metals Study?

A: Aside from arsenic, other chemicals of potential concern in the study include antimony, cadmium, lead, manganese, zinc, copper, and vanadium. These are being measured because other research and studies have shown that they are present near past mining activities.

Q. Are there certain types of vegetables that have higher levels of arsenic?

A: Previous studies have shown that higher arsenic levels in leafy green vegetables such as lettuce, beet greens, and celery leaves compared to lower levels in potatoes, cabbage, peas, rhubarb, garlic, broccoli and zucchini. However, the small sample size in these previous studies mean generalizations should be made with caution.

Q. Have things changed since 2001?

A: That’s what this study will find out. Previously, the 2001 study was compared to a study from 1979. Levels were approximately five times lower in the 2001 study when compared to the 1979 results. However, lettuce and berries contained comparable levels between the two studies. The more information we gather, the more complete understanding we will have about levels of metals in our garden soils and how these levels are changing over time.

The YKGMS Team has had a wonderful week sampling gardens and soil around Yellowknife.
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We'll be out and about this weekend - send us a message if you'd like more information about the study or to participate!

Q. Hasn’t this been done before?

A: It has been almost 20 years since a study like this was completed. In 2001, a study from the Environmental Sciences Group at Royal Military College looked at arsenic in garden vegetables from nine gardens in the Yellowknife area. This study found that produce from Yellowknife gardens had higher levels of arsenic than national averages, but a risk assessment approach indicated that garden produce was still safe to eat. It is worthwhile to revisit a study like this, since many people use garden produce to supplement their diet and there is a growing interest in commercial agriculture in the Yellowknife region. In the time since the last study, we now recognize that soils within close proximity to Yellowknife can have soil arsenic concentrations far exceeding national guidelines for agricultural use. The new study will increase the number of garden plots sampled and collect a broad spectrum of vegetables from these gardens.

Residents get soil from a variety of sources, including bagged soil from hardware stores and local soil quarries, so it is important to understand the range of arsenic levels in garden soils, where these soils are derived from, and how this impacts levels in garden produce.

Q. Why should this study matter to me?

A: If you are concerned about your exposure to arsenic and other metals from local garden produce, this project will provide you and other residents an understanding of the current exposure to arsenic and other contaminants of concern. If you participate in the study, you will receive your individual results and what those numbers mean. In addition to that, your involvement will contribute to the overall assessment of our metal levels in local food sources, which is an important part of future health effects and risk assessment work.

Q: I submitted samples to this project last year. When will I get my results?

A: We were overwhelmed by the amount of interest in the project last fall. It was great to see that that the project is well supported by the community. We are in the final stages of preparing the 2020 results for release. Within the next month, you will see some general information about the 2020 results on this page and we will be sending participants individual results by email. Thanks for your patience, we recognize this took longer than expected.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who has contacted us so far; we appreciate your interest and willingness to participate in this study!
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The YKGMS team has been busy all weekend sampling gardens around Yellowknife. We are looking forward to sampling many more in the weeks to come!
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Send us a message if you have any questions or to participate.