| Issue/Objective |
The mining industry, while economically vital, has significant environmental consequences. Mining sites generate toxic emissions like carbon dioxide, mercury, arsenic, and Sulphur compounds. Exposure to these pollutants has detrimental impacts on human health, with children being the most vulnerable to the impacts of pollution on their health. Nickel, a base metal that is critical to the clean energy transition in Canada, is expected to see 40-fold increase in demand by 2040 corresponding to an increase in the production of batteries for electric vehicles. Sudbury is a hub for nickel production in Canada. But comprehensive surveys on the health outcomes of children is absent in Sudbury. |
| Methodology/Approach |
This study will follow the narrative inquiry methodology. 30 parents / caregivers of children will be interviewed to learn about their lived experience (with a specific focus on their children's health) in this industrial town that is undergoing a deindustrialization process. |
| Results |
This study is currently in the ethics approval stage. But the results could be applicable to any industrial town in Canada. |
| Discussion/Conclusion |
Potential contribution of the study: 1. Identifying variations in health outcomes across different neighborhoods and different communities. 2. Assessing the link between environmental exposure and health outcomes among children. 3) advocating for comprehensive data collection over time to track trends in child health and pollution concentration. |
| Presenters and affiliations |
Rhea Mukerjee McMaster University |
