“This is one of a series of review papers which arose out of the second Canadian Arctic Contaminants Assessment Report.”

This is one of a series of review papers which arose out of the second Canadian Arctic Contaminants Assessment Report. As such, it provides a summary of the current state of knowledge with respect to the presence, distribution, and behavior of both legacy and new-use chemicals in the arctic marine environment. The frequent citation of this paper probably results from the breadth of species, locations, and chemical compounds covered.

  Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or synthesis of knowledge?

As a review paper, it provides an overview and synthesis of the data and results generated from a wide range of studies conducted under Canada’s Northern Contaminants Program. It also provides information on new-use chemicals previously unreported in arctic biota.

Many environmental contaminants are transported to remote locations, such as the Arctic, via air and ocean currents. For example, the Arctic is the final sink for mercury transported atmospherically over long distances from parts of the world with increasing mercury emissions, and this is reflected in the significant increases in mercury concentrations observed over time in some marine species at some locations.

Newer chemicals, such as the brominated flame retardants, are increasingly finding their way into arctic marine ecosystems, as well. In contrast, many of the legacy organochlorines—PCBs, DDT, etc.—which have been subject to restrictions or bans on their use, have shown significant declines in most arctic marine species. This underscores the importance of international protocols to reduce emissions of chemical contaminants.

Through my own work on environmental contaminants in marine birds, I became involved with the Northern Contaminants Program which is managed by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada in partnership with federal/provincial/territorial government departments, universities, and other research institutes, as well as aboriginal organizations. The compilation, interpretation, and presentation of data from such a wide variety of independent studies was challenging but, through the cooperation of the community of scientists involved, the second Canadian Arctic Contaminants Assessment Report was produced. This review paper was based on one section of that report.

I plan to continue my research on contaminants in arctic seabirds, making my data and expertise available to programs, such as the Northern Contaminants Program, in support of their efforts to coordinate Canada’s action on the issue of northern contaminants nationally and provide the research necessary to take action internationally.

Many of the marine species discussed in our paper are important as traditional foods for northern peoples and, therefore, information on the presence and temporal trends of chemical contaminants in those marine food species are of great interest. As well, the discovery of new-use chemicals in arctic marine food webs highlights the importance of continued efforts to negotiate international protocols to reduce emissions of chemical contaminants.