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Since 1971, the Centre de toxicologie du Québec has offered province-wide services in clinical, industrial, and environmental toxicology applicable to human beings. The Center was amalgamated to Québec National Public Health Institute in 1998. The Center provides medical consultations, professional expertise, and laboratory-based toxicity studies-i.e., the biological measurement of trace substances originating in the environment or in drugs-using state-of-the-art technology backed by sophisticated instrumentation. Center services are primarily made available to Quebec's health care network, but also to the public and private sectors depending on the availability of human resources. Key concerns are pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorines, heavy metals, drinking water, food quality, hazardous waste, risk analysis, and major industrial accidents. In recent years, the Centre de toxicologie has initiated or collaborated on several research projects. Major focuses include occupational exposure to pesticides and monitoring of environmental exposure to heavy metals (cadmium, lead, mercury) and organochlorines (breast milk and food). The Institute
also offers the services of its Directorate for Biological, Environmental
and Occupational Risks and its Public Health Laboratory (biological).
A number of Institute professionals are currently participating in international
initiatives in collaboration with agencies such as the United Nations,
WHO, the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and the Canadian
International Development Agency (CIDA). The Center has helped set up
toxicology and industrial hygiene laboratories in Africa and Latin America
and has helped train physicians and staff in anti-poison centers in several
countries. It has been involved in the INTOX project of the International
Program on Chemical Safety (IPCS) since the project's inception in 1988.
The project is intended to help developing nations prevent poisoning by
providing the necessary documentation and computer tools. |
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