Southern projects

Posisjon  5

AMAP goes South

In phase III of the AMAP programme, the need for a broader geographical scope in order to grasp the complexity of dispersion of contaminants globally is recognized. Thus, initial preparations are underway in order to start spesific monitoring and sampling programmes in selected countries in the south.

Read about the projects here:
- South Africa(Under construction)
- Vietnam(Under construction)
- Brazil(Under construction)


Project coordinator: Jon Øyvind Odland, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Institute of Community Medicine, University of Tromsø, Norway / Consultant Gyn/Obst, Helse Nord, Bodø.

A number of persistent toxic substances (PTS) are recognised as being responsible for adverse development and health effect in children. The growing foetus and new born child are especially sensitive to the toxic effects of many persistent heavy metals and organic pollutants found in the environment, which may exert its toxicity for decades because of resistance to degradation. Several of these substances move from mother to foetus via the umbilical cord and to the child via mother’s breast milk. The levels of these contaminants in maternal blood during pregnancy give an indication of the potential risk to the developing foetus. Of particular concern are long-term, subtle effects that might influence reproductive health, pregnancy outcomes, reduce defence against diseases, affect children’s mental development, or increase the risk of cancer.

Several of multidisciplinary international projects are in progress that study levels of PTS in people of different geographical regions to establish the relationship between levels of these chemicals and health. The most important is the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) that started in 1991 and includes eight arctic countries (Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden and The USA). The Norwegian locations were in Finnmark, and we have so far no information of mothers and newborn babies from coastal populations of Nordland County. Information from other parts of Norway points out the possibility of high levels of mercury and organic contaminants in humans with a high dietary intake of fish.

After the first AMAP-report 1998 this project has been developed from mostly monitoring of levels in biota and human biological material, to a comprehensive research project focusing on the sources for human contaminants, especially dietary sources, as well as epidemiological and molecular effect studies on reproductive effects and pregnancy outcomes. Through an international network coordinated by the project leader compatible projects are now established and ongoing in all the 8 arctic countries and Vietnam, South-Africa and Brazil. The studies are created in a way that can be used over geographical and cultural borders. The arctic countries have special concern because the global pollutants are concentrated in the Arctic through air, sea streams, ice drift and the big rivers turning north. Vietnam has special concern because of the aftermath of the Vietnam War. South Africa, with wellknown use of pesticides in agriculture, having dimensions of both developed and developing countries, has a great potential to contribute to global research in the field of environmental pollutants and human health outcomes. Brazil has substantial use of pesticides in the agricultural production, with special concern on the workers and their families because of local contamination. Reproductive health, fetal development and pregnancy outcome are all of special concern because most of the contaminants are “hormonal mimics” or have carcinogenic potential.

Effects of the different contaminants might be difficult to document because there are mostly a variety of contaminants in the human environment. But some alarming effects have been shown: Lead in placenta and maternal blood has a negative impact on birth weight, even at low levels. Lead is probably associated with delayed brain development in risk groups. Mercury is associated with delayed brain development. High levels of contaminants from the DDT-group are associated with low birth weight. The most alarming concern recently is the change in sex ratio of newborn children in the Russian Far East associated with high maternal levels of PCBs (change in female direction, not published yet). The same association has been documented between changed sex ratio and high dioxine levels after the Seveso disaster.
In general populations it is the coastal populations of the Arctic those have the highest concentrations of many contaminants, especially those who have a substantial dietary supply from the sea; fish and marine mammals. Thus, it should be important to explore the situation for people living in the Norwegian north.

Recently focus has been put on the metabolites of the traditional contaminants and new groups of contaminants, because of their even stronger toxicity in laboratory models. Examples from these groups are the brominated flame retardants, like PBDE, HBCD. There is a rising concern on health effects, and no known levels in Norwegian populations.

The long term plan is to build up global information in this important field of reproductive health and child health. In the areas were studies give rise to medical concern more comprehensive longitudinal studies of sources and reproductive outcomes will be planned.