The Canadian House Dust Study

Launched on January 30, 2007, the Canadian House Dust Study is a four-year, four-phased national study being conducted by Health Canada. The Public Health Agency of Canada participated in the study's first phase. The entire study aims to collect dust samples from up to 1,040 randomly selected detached homes, spread across 13 cities in Canada.

The study's purpose is to measure background levels of chemicals in house dust in Canadian homes. Some studies have shown that levels of certain chemicals can be higher in house dust than in other environmental media such as soil, street dust and water. A subcomponent of the study was to investigate the distribution of different types of bacteria in various locations within each home (in the Phase I cities only). At the completion of the study, we will have a national estimate of background levels of certain chemicals in urban house dust across Canada.

Phase I

Sampling of randomly selected homes in the first three Ontario cities (Cambridge, Burlington and Hamilton) was completed on May 31, 2007. Representatives from Water and Earth Science Associates Ltd., an environmental sciences, health, safety and engineering consulting group, conducted the Phase I sampling on behalf of Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada following a competitive contracting process.

The laboratory analyses for lead and bacteria are now complete and these results were mailed out to participants the end of August 2007. It is too early to interpret overall results for the study since only Phase I from the four year study is complete. Health Canada is working to share study results with Canadians once all cities have been sampled by 2010.

For more information, please contact:

Lydia Renton or Jodi Johnson
Water and Earth Science Associates Ltd.
P.O. Box 430 - 3108 Carp Road
Carp (Ottawa), Ontario
K0A 1L0
(613) 839-3053, x257 or x258

Collect calls will be accepted.

Phase II

Recruitment and sampling of randomly selected homes in the second three Ontario cities (Barrie, Sudbury and Thunder Bay) began in the last week of October 2007. Recruitment will take place from October - December, 2007, and sampling will take place from November 2007 to February 2008. Representatives from Water and Earth Science Associates Ltd., have been selected to conduct this work on behalf of Health Canada following a competitive contracting process.

Please note that the Canadian House Dust Study is in no way associated with the Sudbury Soils Study.

For more information, please contact:

Lydia Renton or Jodi Johnson
Water and Earth Science Associates Ltd.
P.O. Box 430 - 3108 Carp Road
Carp (Ottawa), Ontario
K0A 1L0
Toll-free: 1-888-739-3053
Local calls: (613) 839-3053, x257 or x258