ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

"Human health in the Arctic is linked inextricably to the climate and the Arctic ecosystem." (AMAP, 2009) Through atmospheric and oceanic pathways, contaminants from sources far outside the Arctic region accumulate in Arctic food webs, threatening the food security and health of people in the Arctic. This page is a portal to information on monitoring contaminant pathways and concentrations in the Arctic, understanding disease risks associated with environmental toxins, and balancing benefits of traditional foods with potential exposures.

Most of the links have an Arctic emphasis, but there are also general links regarding health and the environment.

• Major Reports and Publications

• Tools and Research

• Organizations

• Environmental Justice

Click on the for more information about the link.

Major Reports and Publications 

Alaska Dietary Survey: 1956-1961
by Christine A. Heller, Ph.D. and Edward M. Scott, Ph.D. Public Health Service Publication No. 999-AH-2

Ambient Air Pollution: Health Hazards to Children
This policy statement by the American Association of Pediatrics summarizes the recent literature linking ambient air pollution to adverse health outcomes in children and includes a perspective on the current regulatory process. The statement provides advice to pediatricians on how to integrate issues regarding air quality and health into patient education and children's environmental health advocacy.

Annual Arctic Report Cards
An international team of research scientists has created this peer-reviewed website which tracks multiple changes in the arctic environment. The Report Card is organized by NOAA and will be updated annually. 

Chemical-Biological Terrorism and Its Impact on Children: A Subject Review
This policy statement by the American Association of Pediatrics covers the effects of chemical and biological agents on children and the possible effects on health care resources in the event of a terrorist attack.

Current State & Trends Assessment: Polar Systems, Chapter 25: Polar Systems by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment  
This chapter discusses the impact of polar climate change on human, animal and biodiversity. Contains longitudinal data about Arctic regions, climate change, and biodiversity. Discussions on human impacts and contamination of the Arctic region are presented. This chapter is part of an assessment to study the impact humans have on ecosystems. (PDF size: 994kb)

Environmental Health Risks of the Arctic Assessed
The summary report of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment and Programme. The full article can be found in the International Journal of Circumpolar Health, 2002 Nov 61(4):300-318. (PDF size: 37kb)

Environmental Tobacco Smoke: A Hazard to Children
This policy statement by the American Association of Pediatrics reviews the evidence that children exposed to environmental tobacco smoke have higher rates of lower respiratory illness during their first year of life, higher rates of middle ear effusion, and higher rates of sudden infant death syndrome. In addition, children with asthma whose parents smoke have more severe symptoms and more frequent exacerbations.

The First International Polar Year, 1881-1884: The Arctic Environment in Historical Perspective
The records of the first IPY offer a rare glimpse of the circumpolar Arctic environment as it existed in the past. These observations collected so long ago now hold the potential to improve our understanding of historical climate variability and environmental change in the Arctic.

Giving traditional ecological knowledge its rightful place in environmental impact assessment
Traditional ecological knowledge is a cumulative body of knowledge and beliefs, handed down through generations by cultural transmission, about the relationship of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment.

Healthy People 2010 - Environmental Health - Midcourse Review
This 2007 report reviews the progress made towards objectives within the six major topic areas of the Healthy People 2010 Environmental Health focus area: outdoor air quality, water quality, toxics and wastes, healthy homes and healthy communities, infrastructure and surveillance, and global environmental health.

Northern lights against POPs: Combatting threats in the Arctic
D.L. Downie, T. Fenge (eds.), McGill-Queen's University Press, 2003, 347 pages. Long-range transport by air and water carries many pollutants to the circumpolar north, where they threaten the health and cultural survival of Inuit and other northern Indigenous peoples. This book reveals the key links among environmental and health science, international politics, advocacy, law, and global negotiations.

Northern overexposure or pollution in the Arctic
Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 106, Number 2, February 1998

Silent snow: The slow poisoning of the Arctic
M. Cone, Grove Press, 2005, 246 pages. Traditionally thought of as the last great unspoiled territory on Earth, the Arctic is in reality home to some of the most contaminated people and animals on the planet. Los Angeles Times environmental reporter Marla Cone traveled across the Arctic, from Greenland to the Aleutian Islands, to find out why the Arctic is toxic.

State of the Arctic Environment Report
The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), established in 1991 under the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS), was given the responsibility to monitor the levels and assess the effects of selected anthropogenic pollutants in all compartments of the Arctic. This is the first AMAP assessment report.

The tip of the iceberg: Chemical contamination in the Arctic
WWF International Arctic Programme, February 2005. (PDF size: 259kb)

Toxic Effects of Indoor Molds
This policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Environmental Health, describes molds, their toxic properties, and their potential for causing toxic respiratory problems in infants.

Toxic substances in the Arctic and associated effects—Human health
Volume 2 of the 2003 Canadian Arctic Contaminants Assessment Report.

Tribal Air Quality in Alaska
Videos, reports, and toolkits produced by the EPA Pacific Northwest Region to help address common sources of air pollution in rural Alaska.

Ultraviolet Light: A Hazard to Children
This policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Environmental Health, focuses on effects of ultraviolet light on children and infants, including sunburn, skin cancers, premature aging of skin, effect on immune response and long-term hazards to eyes.

Tools and Research

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)
Public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that provides health information to prevent harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances.

Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT)
The only comprehensive data base of contaminated sites in Alaska with the mapping of 2,000 military, oil and gas, mining and other industrial sites.

Alaska Traditional Knowledge and Native Foods Database
This database is part of the Traditional Knowledge and Contaminants Project, a research project conducted by ISER in collaboration with the Alaska Native Science Commission. The database contains information on contaminants in species of fish and animals harvested by Alaska Natives and examples of community initiatives taken in response to concerns about environmental change.

Enviro-Health Links - Pesticide Exposure
This National Library of Medicine(NLM) Enviro-Health Links site addresses the relationship between pesticides and human health. The page provides links to selected web sites on pesticide exposure, as well as on the treatment and prevention of pesticide poisoning.

Environmental Health and Toxicology
This web site includes links to databases, bibliographies, tutorials, and other scientific and consumer-oriented resources.

Environmental Health Perspectives
Monthly journal of peer-reviewed research and news published by the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services.

First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study (FNFNES)
Using an ecozone sampling framework, the FNFNES aims to gather information with 100 randomly selected First Nations communities across Canada about: current traditional and store-bought food use; food security; testing traditional foods for nutrient values and environmental chemical hazards; and testing drinking water for heavy metals and surface water for pharmaceutical metabolites.

Haz-Map: Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents
This is an occupational health database developed by the National Library of Medicine for health and safety professionals and for consumers seeking information about the health effects of exposure to chemicals and biological agents at work.

Household Products Database
A consumer guide that provides information on the potential health effects of chemicals contained in more than 6,000 common household products used inside and around the home. This resource helps scientists and consumers learn about ingredients in brand-name products.

Marine Toxins - CDC website
Marine toxins are naturally occurring chemicals that can contaminate certain seafood. The seafood contaminated with these chemicals frequently looks, smells, and tastes normal. When humans eat such seafood, disease can result.

TOXMAP
A Geographic Information System (GIS) from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) that uses maps of the United States to help users visually explore data from the EPA's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI).

ToxTown
An interactive guide to toxic chemicals and environmental health risks you might encounter in everyday life, in everyday places. Tox Town is a project of the Specialized Information Services Division of the National Library of Medicine and was launched in October, 2002.

Where You Live
Enter your zip code and choose from four databases to find environmental information about your community.

Organizations

Alaska Environmental Health Association (AEHA)
AEHA is a professional group of sanitarians and environmental health professionals who work to control those factors of the environment that result or may result in harmful effects to the health and well-being of all Alaskans.

Alaska Forum
The Alaska Forum, Inc., was initially formed as an organization to support an annual educational event, the Alaska Forum on the Environment. This widely recognized event began in 1990 as the Alaska Federal Facility Environmental Roundtable as an annual conference focused on contaminants, hazardous waste cleanup, hazardous materials management, pollution prevention, etc. at federal facilities.

ANTHC - Division of Environmental Health and Engineering
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium works in partnership with Native communities to provide a comprehensive array of public health-based services statewide.

Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA)
An international project of the Arctic Council and the International Arctic Science Committee (IASC), to evaluate and synthesize knowledge on climate variability, climate change, and increased ultraviolet radiation and their consequences.

Arctic Contaminants  
A three-year grant which documents Alaska Native understandings of environmental changes.

Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat
Located in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Indigenous Peoples' Secretariat (IPS) was established in 1994 to strengthen the involvement of the Arctic Indigenous Peoples in the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy.

Canadian Arctic Resources Committee (CARC) - Toxics and POPs page
CARC is a citizens' organization dedicated to the long-term environmental and social well being of northern Canada and its peoples.

CDC Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases
Goal is to improve public health nationally and internationally through the prevention and control of disease, disability, and death caused by foodborne, waterborne, and environmentally transmitted infections.

Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER)
CIER was founded in 1994 by a small group of First Nation leaders from across Canada who recognized the need for Aboriginal peoples to have the capacity to solve environmental problems affecting their lands and resources.

Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment (CINE)
CINE was created in response to a need expressed by Aboriginal peoples for participatory research and education to address their concerns about the integrity of their traditional food systems.

Division of Environmental Health - State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation
Departmental programs cover shellfish, pesticides, drinking water, solid waste, food safety, and veterinary programs.

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) -- Climate Change News
Materials available on the site are designed to make policy makers, in particular, aware of not only the science of climate change and energy use patterns, but also of the many possible solutions that can lead to a more environmentally sustainable society.

Environmental Public Health Program - State of Alaska
Epidemiological studies and toxicological risk assessments are used to examine the degree of human exposure to hazardous substances and subsequent hazards to human health from emergency release events, hazardous waste disposal, global transport to the arctic, or other sources.

Environmental Services Division - Municipality of Anchorage
The Environmental Services Division focuses on the promotion and protection of environmental health regarding air quality, water quality, and public facility sanitation.

GLOBIO: Global methodology for mapping human impacts on the biosphere
A UNEP program.

Health Canada
Offers information and advice on some of the most common environmental factors that affect human health: air, noise, soil and water pollution, climate change, environmental contaminants, occupational health and safety, pest control and radiation.

Healthy People 2020 - Environmental Health
The Healthy People 2020 Environmental Health objectives focus on 6 themes: outdoor air quality, surface and ground water quality, toxic substances and hazardous wastes, homes and communities, infrastructure and surveillance, global environmental health.

Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN)
IEN was formed by grassroots Indigenous peoples and individuals to address environmental and economic justice issues. IEN's activities include building the capacity of Indigenous communities and tribal governments to develop mechanisms to protect sacred sites, land, water, air, natural resources, health of both people and all living things, and to build economically sustainable communities.

Institute of Arctic Biology
Located at University of Alaska Fairbanks, IAB supports faculty and post-doctoral research and graduate education in the life sciences of wildlife, physiology, genetics and evolutionary biology, ecology and ecosystems, biomedicine, and bioinformatics and computational biology.

International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC)
The International Study of Arctic Change (ISAC) is an open-ended international research program designed to understand the future state of the Arctic System under anthropogenic stress. The driving force behind ISAC is the need to build understanding, improve capacity for predicting Arctic System changes, and develop necessary mitigation and adaptation strategies to minimize the adverse effects of such changes.

Many Strong Voices
A collaborative programme with the goal of promoting the well-being, security and sustainability of coastal communities in the Arctic and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the face of climate change, by bringing these regions together to take action on mitigation and adaptation.

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
The mission of the NIEHS is to reduce the burden of human illness and disability by understanding how the environment influences the development and progression of human disease. To have the greatest impact on preventing disease and improving human health, the NIEHS focuses on basic science, disease-oriented research, global environmental health, and multidisciplinary training for researchers.

National Library of Medicine (NLM)
NLM, on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, is the world's largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care.

National Tribal Environmental Council
A comprehensive resource for American Indian & Alaska Native communities, state & federal agencies, and private and non-profit organizations interested in protecting tribal environments.

Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME)
PAME was established in 1993 with a mandate to address policy and non-emergency pollution prevention and control measures related to the protection of the Arctic marine environment.

Rural Alaska Sanitation Coalition
The mission of the Rural Alaska Sanitation Coalition is to bring about positive, long-term change in the substandard water, sewer, solid waste, and related environmental health conditions existing in Alaska villages. The organization was formed in 1993 to give rural Alaskans a voice in the development of basic infrastructure that directly affects their quality of life.

Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH)
SEARCH is an interagency effort to understand the nature, extent, and future development of the system-scale change presently seen in the Arctic. These changes are occurring across terrestrial, oceanic, atmospheric and human systems.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10: Pacific Northwest, Tribal Programs
The mission of the EPA Tribal Program is to work with federally recognized tribes in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska on a government-to-government basis, to protect, restore, and preserve the environment for present and future generations.

Environmental Justice

Enviro-Health Links - Environmental Justice
This National Library of Medicine (NLM) Enviro-Health Links site provides links and descriptions to environmental justice sites.

From TIOP to EnHIP: Evolution of Environmental Justice
Proceedings from the National Library of Medicine Environmental Health Information Partnership (EnHIP) Meeting, March 14-15, 2011.

Northern Institute for Environmental and Minority Law (NIEM)
The NIEM has a special focus on studying the law relating to (Arctic) indigenous peoples and environmental law as it applies in the Arctic and northern region.

Social Equity and Environmental Justice This site from the University of Connecticut includes Case Studies, Reports, Commissions, and Resolutions

You can also search for your topic in:

• MEDLINEplus
• PubMed (with an arctic emphasis)