Elevated concentrations of contaminants from long range sources find their way into the traditional diet of Inuit across the Arctic. Significant advances have been made in contaminants-related science and through international instruments such as the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).
ICC is committed to developing science and bringing Inuit concerns forward through international and national research programs, such as the Arctic Monitoring Assessment Programme (AMAP) of the Arctic Council, and the Canada’s Northern Contaminants Program (NCP).
Similarly, ICC was very engaged in the negotiations of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, which came into force in 2017. Some contaminant levels are now declining in the Arctic, but new contaminants continue to be introduced. Plastic pollution is a new, added threat. For example, microplastics are being found in the guts of the animals we hunt and eat.
ICC continues to be engaged in these global agreements to highlight how Inuit health is affected by contaminants in the Arctic, and to achieve better and more effective regulations.