ARCTIC POPs 2001-2004

1. ARCTIC POPs 2001-2004 Science, education and friendship

2. Arctic POPs 2001-2004POP= Persistent Organic Pollutants • How did it started? • Project objectives • Scientific results • Educational results

3. Arctic POPs 2001-2004 • Collaboration among Arctic GLOBE schools • 1999 • Contact with NILU (Norwegian Institute for Air Research) • Finding interested scientists • Choosing theme • POPs and potential POPs (brominated flame retardants) • 2000 • Presentation of the project at GLOBE annual conference • Invitation of schools (2 from each country) • 2001 • Development of protocols • Workshop in Fairbanks

4. Project Objective PBDE47 • Investigatethe distribution and level of newselected POPs in the Arctic region • Increase the knowledgeof POPs and general environmental science in the involved schools • Contribute to the documentationof new POPs in the Arctic, needed for international political processes PBDE99 PCB153

5. Scientific resultsProtocol 2001-2004 • Scientific correct sampling of fish tissue • liver from cod, burbot, haddock, whitefish • fillets from salmonids (salmon, trout, char, whitefish) • Written protocol by NILU • Precleaned and burned equipment from NILU • Biological parameters • length, weight, maturity, otoliths and scales • Preparing datasheets, documentation with camera • marking and packing in a correct way and shipping to NILU • Reporting via internet portal • www.nilu.no/web/arcticpops

8. Filleting Length Otoliths Maturity Packing the fillet

9. What is POPs?

10. New POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) Brominated flame retardants Used in electronic equipment, textiles, and furnitures to prevent fires Electronic parts of color televisions and personal computers Textile coatings; sofas, in seats of cars, buses, and aircraft.

11. PBDE47 PBDE=polybrominated diphenyl ethers PBDE99 PCB153 PCB=polychlorinated biphenyls

12. Kodiak High school Polaris K12 School Chief Zzeh Gittlet School Old Crow Samuel Hearne Secondary High School 15 schools Attagoyuk School Pangnirtung The Murmansk Vocational Maritime lyceum 6 Honningsvåg fiskarfagskole og vg skole Gymnasium 1 Vannareid skole Kjøllefjord Laestadiusskolan Vannareid Apatity Vestvågøy videregående skole Pudas School Pajala Verkmenntaskólinn á Akureyri Leknes Kiruna Hjalmar Lundbohmsskolan Akureyri Tornio Barnaskoli Vestmannaeyja Vestmanneyjar

13. Fish types 2001-2002 COD • Norway VND 6 cod VVO 6 cod KFD 6 cod • Iceland VMA 6 cod BVA 4 haddock, 2 cod • Alaska KHS 6 cod POK 2 cod • 38 cod liver samples

14. Salmon, char, trout • Sweden LAE 2 salmon HJS 5 trout • Alaska POK 4 salmon • Canada ATT 4 char 15 fillet samples of salmon, char and trout

15. Burbot • Finland PUS 4 burbot • Canada SHH 2 burbot (loche) • Sweden LAE 4 burbot 10 burbot liver samples

16. Whitefish • Finland PUS 2 whitefish fillets • Sweden HJS 1 whitefish fillet • Russia GYM 4 whitefish fillets, 2 whitefish livers • Canada CZG 2 whitefish livers 11 whitefish samples

17. PCB153 wet weight Median values 294 Monitoring cod liver 1990-2000: PCB153median:76 270 Burbot liver: SumPCBmedian:553 79

18. 125 96 32 PBDE47 median lipid weight Whitefish, trout: Mariussen, Dioxin 2003 Mjøsa: Com whitefish: pbde47: 134.7 Euro whitefish: pbde47: 1475 Trout:2197 Burbot liver Mariussen, Dioxin 2003 Mjøsa: Burbot: 18710 Cod liver North Sea: 99 ng/g lw (63-307)

19. Arctic POPs 2001-2004Educational results • Doing real science • Doing sampling following a protocol • Practice interpretation of measurements • Design their own projects • International collaboration

23. Levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Cod, Salmon, Char, and Trout Taken From Arctic Countries Polaris K-12 School July 15 2003

24. Questions • How do the levels of PBDE 47, PBDE 99, and PCB 153 in fish from Alaska, Sweden, and Canada vary? What may have influenced these variations? • How do POP levels from salmon, char, and trout vary? • What threats might these POPs pose to Alaskans?

25. Hypotheses Our hypotheses are: • POP levels will vary greatly between Alaska and Sweden, and less between Alaska and Canada. • POP levels between Salmon, Char, and Trout will be similar. • These POPs will threaten the health of subsistence relying Alaska Natives.

26. Sampling Site-Ship Creek, Elmendorf Fish Hatchery

27. Going over the procedures

28. Results • Toxin levels in Sweden tended to be higher than Alaska and Canada. • The schools that sampled salmon, trout, or char in the fall of 2002 found lower levels than the previous years. • Swedish salmon contained higher levels of PBDE 47 than Swedish trout. Both were higher than Canadian char and Alaskan salmon. • Swedish trout and salmon vary in levels of PBDE 99, but both have higher levels than the Alaskan salmon and Canadian char. The char had slightly higher levels than the Alaskan salmon.

29. Discussion • Alaskan and Canadian PCB and PBDE levels are lower than Europe’s, however they may still pose a threat to Alaskans, especially if they rise. • According to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, PCBs and PBDEs may be coming to the North Pacific from East Asia. • Fish represents almost 60% Alaska native diets. • According to “Persistent Organic Pollutants in Alaska” by ACAT, PCB levels in Alaskan lake trout are about 3.7 ng/g

30. Conclusions • POP levels varied greatly between Alaska, Sweden and Canada. • These variations are most likely due to location. • Salmon, trout and char have similar levels of POPs with respect to their location. • Alaskan POP levels are lower than most other countries. • POPs pose a threat to subsistence relying Alaska Natives and are known to have terrible health effects. • POP levels in Alaskan fish have not yet reached a level to do substantial damage to health. However due to biomagnification and rising amounts, POP levels could get dangerous further up the food chain.