The level of mercury in the Arctic has multiplied by ten over the past 150 years. It has accumulated in the atmosphere, oceans, glaciers, and especially in the permafrost, which constitutes the planet’s largest mercury reservoir.

Initially stored naturally through volcanic eruptions over the past 25,000 years, today mercury mainly comes from our polluting industries such as coal-fired power plants, metallurgy, and mining activities.

As the Arctic warms four times faster than the rest of the world, the melting permafrost releases the mercury trapped in these frozen lands. It then spreads in its toxic form (methylmercury) into the region’s soils and waters, and then to humans through the food chain.

The impact is devastating on the environment and the health of Arctic peoples, who are most at risk through their diet. Exposure to mercury can have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive, and immune systems, as well as on certain organs. It also affects the fetus’s development in pregnant women.