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SITKA, Alaska - The Sitka Tribe of Alaska is planning to build a lab to test shellfish for naturally occurring toxins that could pose a health threat to subsistence harvesters.
The development of the lab is being funded by a $527,000 grant from the Administration for Native Americans, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The Daily Sitka Sentinel (http://is.gd/qJdot5) reports the lab will allow the tribe and six other tribal organizations to assess vulnerability in their communities for health risks.
Sitka Tribe of Alaska's resource protection director Jeff Feldpausch says the lab won't certify beaches for shellfish harvesting. But he says it can "raise a red flag" about risks.
Feldpausch says the lab will serve as an early warning system about the presence of toxins.
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Information from: Daily Sitka (Alaska) Sentinel, http://www.sitkasentinel.com/