The project is a continuation of the monitoring activities of the AMAP POPs and Heavy metals programme in marine, terrestrial and freshwater environments of the Faroe Islands. The aims of the programme is to establish data for timetrend and spatial assessments as well as providing data of importance in human health risk assessment on mercury and POPs. The programme incorporates analyses on pilot whale, cod, black guillemots from the marine environment, sheep and hare from the terrestrial environment and arctic char from the freshwater environment. The compounds analysed are "legacy" POPs and mercury, cadmium and selenium. In addition, a retrospective analyses of PFOS in pilot whale tissues going back as far as possible (ie.1986) is part of the project.
Samples are stores in our ESB at -20C to -25 C for possible future use. In some instances though no surplus material is left for the bank as could for instance be the case with birds eggs. There is no preset period of storage, but samples may be spent and thus no longer available.
The guidelines adopted for the AMAP and OSPAR programme are followed when feasible. Sampling, storage, pretreatment and analyses are otherwise as described in Hoydal, K. and Dam, M. 2005. AMAP Faroe Islands Heavy metals and POPs Core programme 2004. Food, Veterinary and Environmental Agency, Report no. 2005:2. Torshavn, Faroe Islands, pp.76. Available at www.hfs.fo/Ritgerðir. The laboratories involved are described in the same report, but in addition a laboratory for PFOS analyses will be contracted.
The QA/QC procedures employed varies for the various laboratories. Some are accredited, some participate in QUASIMEME and some participate in similar intercalibration programmes.