In-flame: INputs of FLuorinated compounds from Arctic MElting - RiS ID: 11598

The acceleration of glacier melting and permafrost thawing due to the global warming taking place on Earth might be a new involuntary source of legacy anthropogenic compounds’ redistribution. Many organic pollutants derived from human activities are now globally widespread in different environmental compartments, including those of the remote polar areas. In the framework of the In-flame project, a specific class of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), such as Per- and Poly-FluoroAlkyl Substances (PFASs), will be studied in the Longyearbyen area to better understand if the ongoing Arctic temperature rising is affecting the biogeochemical cycle of these compounds. Their unique physico-chemical and biological properties make them resistant to hydrolysis, photolysis, and biodegradation, as well as to metabolic processes in living organisms. PFASs are water-soluble, hence easily released into surface water and aquifers, which become the principal medium for their environmental transport. For these reasons, they can enter into the food chain through the direct consumption of this water, intensifying the possible human exposure to PFASs.