This assessment report details the results of the 2002  AMAP assessment of Heavy Metals in the Arctic. It  builds upon the previous AMAP heavy metals assessment  presented in ‘AMAP Assessment Report: Arctic Pollution  Issues’1 that was published in 1998.  The Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme  (AMAP) is a group working under the Arctic Council.  The Arctic Council Ministers have requested AMAP to:  

• produce integrated assessment reports on the status and trends of the conditions of the Arctic ecosystems;
• identify possible causes for the changing conditions;
• detect emerging problems, their possible causes, and the potential risk to Arctic ecosystems including indigenous peoples and other Arctic residents; and to
• recommend actions required to reduce risks to Arctic ecosystems.

This report is one of five detailed assessment reports that  provide the accessible scientific basis and validation for  the statements and recommendations made in the second  AMAP State of the Arctic Environment report, ‘Arctic  Pollution 2002’2 that was delivered to Arctic Council  Ministers at their meeting in Inari, Finland in October  2002. It includes extensive background data and references  to the scientific literature, and details the sources  for figures reproduced in the ‘Arctic Pollution 2002’ report.  Whereas the ‘Arctic Pollution 2002’ report contains  recommendations that specifically focus on actions  aimed at improving the Arctic environment, the conclusions  and recommendations presented in this report also  cover issues of a more scientific nature, such as proposals  for filling gaps in knowledge, and recommendations relevant  to future monitoring and research work.  To allow readers of this report to see how AMAP interprets  and develops its scientifically-based assessment  product in terms of more action-orientated conclusions  and recommendations, the ‘Executive Summary of the  Arctic Pollution 2002 Ministerial Report’, which also  covers other priority issues (Persistent Organic Pollutants,  Radioactivity, Human Health, and Climate  Change Effects on Contaminant Pathways), is reproduced  in this report on pages xi to xv  .
The AMAP assessment is not a formal environmental  risk assessment. Rather, it constitutes a compilation of  current knowledge about the Arctic region, an evaluation  of this information in relation to agreed criteria of environmental  quality, and a statement of the prevailing conditions  in the area. The assessment presented in this report  was prepared in a systematic and uniform manner  to provide a comparable knowledge base that builds on  earlier work and can be extended through continuing  work in the future.  

The AMAP scientific assessments are prepared under the  direction of the AMAP Assessment Steering Group. The  product is the responsibility of the scientific experts involved  in the preparation of the assessment. The lead  country for the AMAP Heavy Metals Assessment under  AMAP phase II was the United States. The assessment is  based on work conducted by a large number of scientists  and experts from the Arctic countries (Canada, Denmark/  Greenland/Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway,  Russia, Sweden, and the United States), together  with contributions from indigenous peoples organizations,  from other organizations, and from experts in  other countries.  
AMAP would like to express its appreciation to all of  these experts, who have contributed their time, effort,  and data; and especially to the lead experts who coordinated  the production of this report, and to referees who  provided valuable comments and helped ensure the quality  of the report. A list of the main contributors is included  in the acknowledgements on page viii of this report.  The list is not comprehensive. Specifically, it does  not include the many national institutes, laboratories and  organizations, and their staff, which have been involved  in the various countries. Apologies, and no lesser thanks,  are given to any individuals unintentionally omitted from  the list. Special thanks are due to the lead authors responsible  for the preparation of the various chapters of  this report.
The support of the Arctic countries is vital to the success  of AMAP. AMAP work is essentially based on ongoing  activities within the Arctic countries, and the countries  also provide the necessary support for most of the experts  involved in the preparation of the assessments. In  particular, AMAP would like to express its appreciation  to the United States for undertaking a lead role in supporting  the Heavy Metals assessment. Special thanks are  also offered to the Nordic Council of Ministers for their  financial support to the work of AMAP, and to sponsors  of other bilateral and multilateral projects that have delivered  data for use in this assessment.  The AMAP Working Group that was established to oversee  this work, and the AMAP heavy metals assessment  group are pleased to present its assessment  .

John Calder
AMAP Working Group Chair
Suzanne Marcy
AMAP Heavy Metals assessment lead (United States)
Lars-Otto Reiersen
AMAP Executive Secretary
Oslo, December 2005