| Human Exposure Monitoring and Evaluation in the Arctic: The Importance of Understanding Exposures to the Development of Public Health Policy William A. Suk,1 Maureen D. Avakian,2 David Carpenter,3 John D. Groopman,4 Madeleine Scammell,5 and Christopher P. Wild6 1National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA; 2Michael D. Baker, Inc., Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA; 3Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology, School of Public Health, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, New York, USA; 4Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; 5School of Public Health, Environmental Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA; 6Molecular Epidemiology Unit, Epidemiology and Health Services Research, School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom Abstract
Arctic indigenous peoples face significant challenges resulting from the contamination of Arctic air, water, and soil by persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals, and radionuclides. International cooperative efforts among governments and research institutions are under way to collect the information needed by environmental health scientists and public health officials to address environmental contamination in the Arctic. However, the climatic, political, and cultural conditions of the land and its native populations combine to present a unique set of scientific and logistic challenges to addressing this important public health issue. Public health officials have the responsibility to respect the cultural traditions of indigenous communities, while simultaneously designing strategies that will reduce their exposure to environmental contaminants and rates of disease and dysfunction. Researchers can better understand the link between environmental exposures and disease through monitoring programs for both the subsistence diets and health status of the indigenous populations. We suggest that the incorporation of community-based participatory research methods into programs designed to assess biomarkers of contaminant exposure in children and adults may be a valuable addition to ongoing and newly developed research programs. This approach could serve as a model for international environmental health initiatives, because it involves the participation of the local communities and seeks to builds trust between all stakeholders. Key words: Arctic, biomarker, community-based participatory research. Environ Health Perspect 112:113-120 (2004) . doi:10.1289/ehp.6383 available via http://dx.doi.org/ [Online 31 October 2003]
Address correspondence to W.A. Suk, Center for Risk and Integrated Sciences, NIEHS, P.O. Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 USA. Telephone: (919) 541-0797. Fax: (919) 541-2843. E-mail: suk@niehs.nih.gov The authors extend their appreciation to S. Wilson of the NIEHS for his vision and guidance ; to D.C. VanderMeer, Environmental Health Consultant, for his critical role in the early stages of this project and his insight on a wide range of topics. Special appreciation is extended to M.M. Miller, with whom W.A.S. spent time years ago as a part of a truly unique experience on the Juneau Icefield and learned the meaning of interdisciplinary research. The authors declare they have no competing financial interests. Received 8 April 2003 ; accepted 30 October 2003.
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