The project is meant to cover specific parts of AMAP phase II in the Faroe Islands. The project includes species from the marine and freshwater environment as well as biota from the terrestrial subprogram. The species chosen for the project are to be analysed for the environmental toxins that were termed essential in the guidelines of the circumpolar programme, but minor adjustments may occur. The selection of species to be analysed have been made so as so to elucidate the burden of contaminants in the local and often also traditional food, and at the same time it has been important to ensure comparability between countries in the AMAP area. The biota chosen are pilot whale, black guillemot, hare, sheep and lamb, arctic char and sculpin. In addition to this core program where the above-mentioned are analysed for the limited set of pollutants, certain special tasks have been planned. Examples on such special tasks are the analysis of mercury in sediment core profiles and investigation of the dioxin and POP burden in cows milk.
Specie; matrix: Pilot whale; blubber, muscle, kidney: Sculpin; liver: Black guillemot; eggs, liver: Arctic char (land-locked); muscle: Hare; liver: Sheep; liver
All samples are banked, at the Environmental Specimen Banking at the Food and Environmental Agency. Samples are stored in suitable containers (heated glass jars, PC containers or aluminiumlaminate) at -20oC for the future.
Analyses for POPs are done either at the Centre de Toxicologie du Quebec (CTQ) or at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA). Analyses for Hg and Cd are done at the lab. of the Food and Environmental Agency which is DANAK accredtitedfor these analyses (HS) and Se is analysed at the Dep. of Arctic Env. of the National Environmental Research Institute, Denmark (DMU-AM) or at the above-mentioned Canadian lab (CTQ).
The labs used are chosen because of their capabilities to deliver QA/QC results at competitive costs. The QA/QC used are different for the various labs, but in common for these is the deliverance of QA/QC information with the analyses reports (or upon request).