In order to address the the question of utility of arctic seabird eggs as an indicator of contaminant temporal trends, it was proposed that: (1) archived arctic seabird egg contents be re-analyzed for organochlorines according to a standardized pooling and analytical protocol in order to confirm whether those residues have been decreasing since the mid-1970s, (2) archived arctic seabird egg contents be analyzed for mercury and selenium to determine whether or not those levels have been increasing or decreasing since the mid-1970s, (3) egg contents and adult livers be analyzed by full scan and ICP to identify any "new" or previously unidentified organochlorines (MS full scan) or metals (ICP) which may have entered the Canadian arctic food chain.
Residue data for seabird eggs of thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia), black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) and northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis).
Prince Leopold Island (74°02'N, 90°05'W)
Samples are archived in the National Wildlife Specimen Bank at NWRC in Ottawa, Ontario, for an indeterminate period of time. Sample homogenates are stored in both glass and polypropylene vials at -40°C.
All samples are handled according to Canadian Wildlife Service protocols. These are available upon request.
Environment Canada's NWRC laboratories participate in the Canadian Northern Contaminants Program Phase II Interlaboratory QA/QC program and have participated in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's interlaboratory program on mercury in fish.
Canadian Northern Contaminants Program