Human Health Report
AMAP, 2003. AMAP Assessment 2002: Human Health in the Arctic. Arctic Monitoring and Assesment Programme (AMAP), Oslo, Norway.
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Health Status of the Arctic Residents
- In recent years there has been significant improvement in the general health of the indigenous peoples of the North. However, significant health disparities remain between indigenous residents and majority populations. For instance, shorter life expectancy and mortality related to suicide and injuries are still more frequent. Lifestyle related conditions, such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, and circulatory disease have become more frequent. Since the age structure in the indigenous populations includes a large number of young persons, preventive measures are very important in reducing the burden of these diseases.
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Ethno-cultural Adaptation
- The Arctic regions of the world share many common characteristics but there are significant social, cultural, and political differences. The indigenous peoples of the Arctic include the Inuit and Iñupiat who inhabit the northern part of the North American continent, and Greenland; the Saami of northern Scandinavia, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula; in northern Russia the Yakuts together with some sixteen indigenous minorities, ranging from the Saami and Nenets in the west to the Chukchi and Eskimo (or Yupik) in the east; the Aleuts, Yup’ik, Athabaskans and other indigenous groups of Alaska; and in Canada the Dene and Yukon First Nations Indians, who occupy the northwest Arctic and subarctic regions along with the Métis
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Priority Contaminants, ‘New’ Toxic Substances, and Analytical Issues
- Ongoing monitoring of persistent toxic substances (PTSs) in the Arctic has focused on three well-known groups of contaminants: industrial compounds and byproducts, chlorinated pesticides, and heavy metals. However, increasing levels of several ‘new’ contaminants and metabolites are a cause for concern.
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Biological Monitoring:Human Tissue Levels of Environmental Contaminants
- Levels of environmental contaminants in blood samples from humans living in the Arctic regions of the eight circumpolar countries confirm that levels of certain persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury (Hg) are generally higher in the Arctic people who consume certain (mainly marine based) traditional/country foods (e.g., the Inuit of Greenland and Arctic Canada).
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Risk Reduction Strategies for Arctic Peoples
- The Arctic region and its peoples are extremely sensitive to global environmental pollution. The levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and metals in Arctic peoples and their traditional food supply vary considerably throughout the circumpolar region and there remains a need for local risk reduction strategies in some regions of the Arctic where current levels of POPs and/or metals are above levels of concern.
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Toxicological Properties of Persistent Organic Pollutants and Related Health Effects of Concern for the Arctic Populations
- Human exposure to environmental contaminants is ubiquitous and not only limited to individuals living close to the sources of contaminants. Everyone carries a burden of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in their body. The burden of POPs in Arctic peoples has been monitored for some years, however, it is only recently that a programme for measuring the potential biological effects of these contaminants has been established: the AMAP Human Health Effects Monitoring Programme.
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Recent Dietary Studies in the Arctic
- Dietary surveys serve several purposes, namely to describe and analyze the food choice and nutritional adequacy of the diet and to assess the role of food components as sources/carriers of anthropogenic pollutants, including heavy metals, organochlorine (OC) compounds and radionuclides. Dietary surveys have been performed among Arctic populations as part of the AMAP Human Health Programme and as part of independent studies. A very large body of dietary information has been accumulated in Canada over the last twenty years, especially by the Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment (CINE).
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The Effects of Arctic Pollution on Population Health
- Very few major epidemiological studies on effects due to exposure to environmental contaminants have been conducted in the Arctic. Arctic studies are extremely difficult to undertake due to the remoteness of communities, the cultural context, climatic factors, small populations, and confounding social and behavioral factors, etc.
