AMAP Assessment 2009: Human Health in the Arctic.

Abstract

"This assessment report details the results of the 2009 AMAP assessment of Human Health in the Arctic. It builds upon the previous AMAP human health assessments that were presented in 19981 and 20022. The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) is a group working under the Arctic Council. The Arctic Council Ministers have requested AMAP: • to produce integrated assessment reports on the status and trends of the conditions of the Arctic ecosystems; • to identify possible causes for the changing conditions; • to detect emerging problems, their possible causes, and the potential risk to Arctic ecosystems including indigenous peoples and other Arctic residents; and • to recommend actions required to reduce risks to Arctic ecosystems. The Ministers have placed special priority on the potential impacts of contaminants on the health of Arctic residents, including the combined effects of mixtures of contaminants acting together with other potential stressors. This report is one of the detailed assessment reports that provide the accessible scientific basis and validation for the statements and recommendations made in the AMAP State of the Arctic Environment report, ‘Arctic Pollution 2009’ that was delivered to Arctic Council Ministers at their meeting in Tromsø, Norway in April 2009. It includes extensive background data and references to the scientific literature,and details the sources for figures reproduced in the ‘Arctic Pollution 2009’3 report. Whereas the ‘Arctic Pollution 2009’ report contains recommendations that specifically focus on actions aimed at improving the Arctic environment, the conclusions and recommendations presented in this report also cover issues of a more scientific nature, such as proposals for filling gaps in knowledge, and recommendations relevant to future monitoring and research work, etc. To allow readers of this report to see how AMAP interprets and develops its scientifically-based assessment product in terms of more action-orientated conclusions and recommendations, the ‘Executive Summary of the Arctic Pollution 2009 Ministerial Report’, which also covers other priority issues (Persistent Organic Pollutants, and Radioactivity), is reproduced in this report on pages xi to xvi."