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 and Northern fulmars from the marine environment and brown trout from the freshwater environment. The compounds analysed are "legacy" POPs and mercury, cadmium and selenium. In addition, PFAS and HBDCs are analysed in pilot whale and PFAS are analysed in Northern fulmars as a continuation of timetrend analyses, initialized in previous projects, and declorane plus is analysed in pilot whales.
Umhvørvisstovan (Environment agency) Pob. 2048, FO-165 Argir, Faroe Islands
Sjúrður Hammer, Environment Agency (same as above) Tel.: + 298 234378 (mob)
Rakul Mortensen, Environment Agency (same as above) Tel.: + 298 234374 (mob)
In addition to the AMAP datacenters the data will be made available on our webpage (www.us.fo), and on the ENVOFAR webpage established to accomodate Faroese environmental data (www.envofar.fo).
Samples are stored 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 previous AMAP reports, the most recent: Andreasen et al. 2019. AMAP Faroe Islands 2013 - 2016: Heavy metals and POPs core programme. Environment Agency, US journal no. 12/00523 and 14/00523. Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, x + 103 pp. Available at www.us.fo. The laboratories involved are described in the same report.
The QA/QC procedures employed varies for the various laboratories. Some are accredited, some participate in QUASIMEME and some participate in similar intercalibration programmes.