Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP); strategy and results with focus on the human health assessment under the second phase of AMAP, 1998-2003

In 1991, Ministers of the eight Arctic countries (Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and USA), adopted the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy (AEPS). To implement part of this strategy, the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP) was established and requested by Ministers to "examine levels of anthropogenic pollutants...from any sources...and to assess their effects in all relevant compartments of the Arctic environment". In 1996 the AEPS, including all its working groups, was reorganized under the newly formed Arctic Council.