Research strategy

Posisjon  4

Overall Research Strategy

In general, the Supporting Research Activities will sustain co-operation on research related to significant human health issues in the Arctic, including assessing the relationships between pollution and health as encouraged by the Inari Declaration (2002)(lenke!!).

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Recognizing compexities
The AMAP Phase 1 and Phase 2 reports have demonstrated that global environmental changes and pollution together with a range of lifestyle factors are interacting in complex ways to affect the health of Arctic populations. The scope of AMAP Phase 2 was wider than the scope of Phase 1 to account for some of this complexity. The scope of AMAP Phase 3 will need to be broader still.

Need for implementation
Based on data reported by the AMAP and others, it is very clear that there is a need for accelerating the reduction of levels of human exposure to contaminants in the Arctic. There is sufficient evidence for immediate action to control sources of pollution and prompt ratification and implementation of multilateral agreements to prevent pollution. Until significant and prolonged exposure reduction is attained, research on contaminant related health problems should be prioritized, and focus on information suitable for determining the need for intervention strategies. International funding will need to be obtained to support the multi-year costs associated with large epidemiology studies.

Difficulties of comparison
Several projects have found that general health and social behavior statistics are difficult to collect and compare between the Arctic countries. The availability of these data needs to be improved and the form in which they are provided harmonized to allow meaningful circumpolar comparisons. Birth registries are already proving to be useful tools in several Arctic countries and can serve as a basis for powerful prospective cohort studies.