Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services

Panniqtuq (Nov 05/01) - Attagoyuk school students sliced their way into history on an overnight science trip near Panniqtuuq last month.

Six students dissected char plucked from a nearby frozen lake. They flew their specimens to Norwegian scientists, who are now probing the skinless fish for evidence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

The project is part of a four-year study conducted by the Norwegian Institute for Air Research and Norway's GLOBE program. A dozen circumpolar schools are supplying specimens.

Attagoyuk is the only Nunavut school. Eyebrows were raised at the sight of the diseased fish on the Oct. 12 trip.

"The (Inuit) guides did not think the head lesions were typical," said vice-principal Donald Mearns, who organized the trip.

"The students are learning about important environmental problems at the same time their work can be used scientifically. We are delighted to be participating."

Similar samples from Sweden, Alaska, Finland, Iceland and Russia will be sent to Norway.

The four-year study is a product of the international Stockholm Convention, which bans a dozen of the worst long-lasting pollutants. Among the chemicals covered are DDT, PCBs and several pesticides, most of which have been detected in the Arctic even though they were never used there. The treaty was signed in May by 123 countries, including Canada and the U.S.

The goals of the Norwegian project are to increase the knowledge of POPs and environmental science in schools, determine the levels of certain pollutants, including chemicals used in fire extinguishers, in the Arctic, and give the information back to the communities that take part.

"It was a miniature adventure," Mearns said.

"It's difficult getting out on the land this time of year. The water was rough, snow was blowing. Travelling was not a straightforward thing," he said.

Organizers plan to make another collecting trip in the spring. Feedback from the trip is expected next summer. From there, students will be asked to give their own input.