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Before we are concerned about potential health effects from these chemicals,
there must be a completed route of exposure. Indeed, many tribes have used
or wish to use these objects in ceremony. It is important to understand
that these objects are sacred to the tribe and are often considered to be
living entities. There are prescribed rituals for handling, storing, and
caring for them. Often these involve keeping the objects in tribal member’s
homes, or in places where food items are stored. Participation in ceremony
may include very small children and extend to the elderly. (READ SLIDE)
One of the difficulties we encounter with “quantifying” the exposure is the
lack of specific data on each artifact including which chemicals were
applied and the amounts. Thus many tribal members may be at risk for
exposure to chemical preservatives.
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