Scientific conference - Donna Mergler, 50 years of research on the impact of contaminants

Throughout my career, working closely with communities facing occupational and environmental health issues has proven essential to improving living and working conditions and advancing scientific knowledge. This lecture will discuss what I have learned from key events in each decade of my collaborative research:
1970: creation of Community Services at UQAM;
1980: meeting with the Noranda union;
1990: from occupational health to environmental health;
2000: an ecosystem approach to human health;
2010: invitation from the Grassy Narrows community to participate in their studies on the effects of 60 years of mercury exposure on their health;
2020: recognition of our investigations.

Donna Mergler is a professor emeritus in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM), where she has taught since 1970. She is a founding member of the Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire sur le bien-être, la santé, la société et l’environnement (CINBIOSE - Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Well-being, Health, Society, and the Environment). Her research, conducted in Quebec, Canada, the United States, and several Latin American countries, focuses on the early effects of exposure to environmental contaminants (mercury, manganese, pesticides, organic solvents) on human health. In her studies, she uses participatory action research methods and an ecosystemic approach to human health. She has received several awards in recognition of her work, including “Scientist of the Year 2023” from Radio Canada. She is currently conducting studies in collaboration with the Indigenous community of Grassy Narrows on the long-term consequences of mercury spills in the watershed of their territory.