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Nunalinni kamatsianik palastikkinik igitauKattatunik Nunatsiavummi, 2017-2026 (Community-based monitoring of plastic pollution in Nunatsiavut, 2017-2026)
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For nearly a decade, Inuit communities in Labrador worked with scientists to test almost 3,000 samples of wild food, water, snow, and ice for plastic pollution in their homelands, making it one of the largest community-led plastics studies in the Arctic. This matters because it shows how everyday people, not just outside researchers, can track plastic contamination in the foods they hunt and gather, keeping control of the data and findings in the hands of the community most affected. Detailed results are still coming out in future scientific papers, but this report lays the groundwork for understanding plastic exposure in Arctic diets.
Since 2017, the Nunalinni kamatsianik palastikkinik project has brought together Inuit harvesters, community members, researchers, and institutional partners to understand plastics in Nunatsiavut lands and waters. Co-led by Liz Pijogge (Nunatsiavut Government) and Max Liboiron (Memorial University), and grounded in community-based environmental monitoring, the project focused on plastics in wild food, alongside shoreline, surface water, snow, and ice. Over 250 people contributed to this work, sustaining one of the most comprehensive, community-driven plastics projects in the Arctic to date. This report details findings from nearly 3,000 samples across the Labrador Inuit Settlement Area. Community collaborative analysis, collective authorship, and shared decision-making shaped both the research process and the form of this report (see Appendix 16). Peer-reviewed scientific articles based on this work are forthcoming. All data gathered through this project are owned and controlled solely by the Nunatsiavut Government. The partnership for this project has ended. If you have questions about the logistics or methods of the project, please contact Max Liboiron. If you would like information about the project's status or data, please reach out to the Nunatsiavut Government's Land and Natural Resources Department. Taimanganit 2017, tainna Nunalinni kamatsianik palâstikkinik suliangujuk katuitisimajuk Inuit katitsuijinnik, nunalimmiunik, Kaujisattinik, ammalu suliaKapvini ikajuttigejunut tukisigiamut palâstikkinik iluani Nunatsiavut nunanginni amma imâni. SivukkatigeKatausimajuk Liz Pijogge (Nunatsiavut kavamanga) ammalu Max Liboiron (Memorial Ilinniavitsuanga), ammalu iniKatlutik nunalimmi-ilinganiKajumut avatiliginimmik kamatslutik, tânna suliangujuk takunnâlualauttik palâstikkinik iluni niKituKannik, sitjani, imaup Kângani, aputik, ammalu sikunni ottugatlutik. Ungatâni 250 inuit tunitsilauttut tâpsumunga suliatsamut, sakKijâtitsitlutik anginippaumik, nunalimmit-pisimajumit palâstikkinik suliatsamik iluani Ukiuttattumi ullumimut. Tânna allaKutik naillititsijuk napvâtausimauuik pisimajunit Kanitangani 3,000 ottugattausimajunut nanituinnak Labrador Inuit Satusattausimajop Iningani. Ammalu suliaKaKatiget Kimiggusimajunut Kaujisattilagijikkutigut allataumajumut ilinganiKajuk tâpsuminga suliagijausimajumut sakKivallialâttut. Ilonnait Kaujigatsait katitsutausimajut tâpsuma suliatsakut namminigijauvuk Nunatsiavut kavamakkunut.
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Nunalinni kamatsianik palastikkinik igitauKattatunik Nunatsiavummi, 2017-2026 (Community-based monitoring of plastic pollution in Nunatsiavut, 2017-2026)
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For nearly a decade, Inuit communities in Nunatsiavut, Labrador worked with researchers to track plastic pollution in their traditional foods, water, snow, and ice, collecting almost 3,000 samples. This project matters because it shows how plastics may be entering the Arctic food chain that many communities depend on, while putting Indigenous communities in control of their own environmental data. Detailed health findings are still being finalized in upcoming scientific papers.
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Researchers studying Arctic waters in Nunatsiavut, Labrador found tiny plastic particles (mostly microplastics smaller than 5mm) in local surface waters, with a lot of it coming from everyday sources like laundry lint (washed down drains) and fishing gear. Instead of just averaging results across a huge region like most studies do, they looked site-by-site and found real differences from place to place, some plastic likely came from nearby communities, while other pieces traveled long distances to get there. This matters because Inuit communities rely on these waters for traditional food sources, and understanding exactly where plastic pollution comes
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A thesis investigating marine plastic pollution in Nunatsiavut (Arctic Labrador) developed community-relevant monitoring methods combining Indigenous knowledge and scientific sampling, finding that localized place-based analyses reveal microplastic distribution patterns obscured by regional averaging. The study demonstrates that community-centered monitoring approaches better serve Inuit communities whose foodways and ecosystems are directly affected by microplastic contamination in Arctic surface waters.
From coast to community: assessing marine plastic pollution impacts on ecosystems and human health in Iceland, Greenland and Svalbard through a One Health and technology-enhanced community monitoring approaches
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Researchers with the ICEBERG project used a One Health framework to assess marine plastic pollution impacts on ecosystems and human health in Iceland, Greenland, and Svalbard, working in partnership with Indigenous communities. The study identified microplastic contamination across coastal food webs in these Arctic regions and evaluated implications for subsistence harvesting.
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