Under the Northern Contaminants Program (NCP), our team is deploying passive air samplers to measure contaminants in 7 locations in the Arctic and two of the sites in Nunavut are Cambridge Bay and Iqaluit. The atmosphere is the main pathway for organic contaminants, e.g. polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), pesticides and combustion by-products, and mercury from industrial sources to enter the Arctic ecosystems. Many contaminants are toxic and can accumulate in foodwebs, affecting the health of wildlife and humans. They can be carried by wind and water from sources to the Arctic. Mercury and organic pollutants are monitored in air at Alert (NU) and Little Fox Lake (YK), leaving vast swaths of the Arctic where there are no measurements. To augment the existing monitoring programs, we propose to install passive air samplers (PAS) for organic contaminants at 7 additional Arctic locations, and intend to add PAS for mercury later once the technology is developed. Passive sampling refers to collecting contaminants from air on a trap that sits out in the open without any pumps pulling in the air. Passive samplers are a low-cost, low-maintenance way to monitor contaminants because they do not require power for pumps or a shed to house the instruments. They are unobtrusive and they make no noise, do not produce any emissions and they simply sit outside and trap contaminants from the air. This sampling method is ideally suited to the Arctic environment. It is also suitable for involving students or other interested persons in sample collection, enhancing communication with local communities and creating training opportunities for Northern students. Depending on sampler type, samples would be collected approximately 4 times per year or once per year, requiring minimal time commitments. This is a very cost-effective way to increase monitoring sites where we can measure to get a more comprehensive picture of the contaminant levels. Project results, combined with the monitoring programs at Alert and Little Fox Lake, will help us to determine: Are air concentrations of organic pollutants and mercury in the Arctic going up or down over time, especially in response to international control strategies on their emissions and production? How do these chemicals end up in the Arctic and where did they come from? What affects their movement up to the Arctic from sources in the south? What would be the effect of climate change in the Northern Hemisphere on the movement of these chemicals to the Arctic? Samples collected will provide air concentrations in more regions with which to compare measurements in soils, snow, lakes or wildlife and help reveal how contaminants move from air into ecosystems. At Cambridge Bay, personnel from Polar Knowledge Canada will help us change samples and the samplers will be mounted on a temporary aluminum post. At Iqaluit, the Nunavut’s Department of Environment is helping us with this work and the samplers are mounted on an existing fence. The other non-Nunavut sites proposed include Nain and Norhtwest River (Nunasiavut), Fort Resolution and Inuvik (Northwest Territories) and Kuujjuaq (Nunavik).