September 2007

Food Security for the Indigenous Peoples

of Northern Russia

Because they rely on fishing, hunting and herding, Arctic indigenous peoples are particularly prone to contaminants from tainted food.  Traditional food, particularly derived from marine mammals, is a significant source of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), which accumulate through the food chain.

A UNEP/GEF project has helped indigenous peoples of the Russian north to develop appropriate actions to reduce health risks resulting from contamination of their environment and traditional food sources by persistent toxic substances (PTS)—a broad group of substances that includes all POPs.  Based on a study of the significance of aquatic food chains as a pathway of exposure to PTS, as well as an assessment of the relative importance of local and distant sources of PTS and the role of atmospheric and riverine transport, the project provided recommendations to federal and local authorities, indigenous peoples, and the international community on how to reduce exposure to PTS.  It also identified priority areas for action.

A significant proportion of total global PTS in the Arctic environment is from long-range transport.  Among toxic substances in the blood of Arctic indigenous inhabitants, are substances that have never been produced and used in the USSR/Russia.  At the same time, data and information on local PTS pollution sources available to federal and local environmental and human health authorities do not adequately reflect the actual situation in the Russian Arctic regions.  The project surveys indicate environmental impacts from unknown local sources.  Indoor and occupational sources of PTS, including contamination of dwellings, are also likely to be a significant contributor to blood contamination among indigenous peoples of northern Russia.

In general, PTS levels in the natural environment and biota of the Russian Arctic are at moderate levels compared to other Arctic regions.  However, in a number of cases, home-made local food contains higher levels of PTS contamination than raw products obtained from the natural environment.  It is assumed that food receives additional contamination during storage and processing in contaminated household environments.