Project Hope, Unalaska

A One Health research initiative in conjunction with the Qawalangin Tribe

About

Are military sites on Unalaska contaminating subsistence foods?

Project Hope was initiated by the Qawalangin Tribe and City of Unalaska to find community-centered solutions to sustainably manage human organic pollutant exposure across the formerly used defense (FUD) sites of Unalaska. This project specifically asks what the role of local FUD sites is in contamination of subsistence foods and the local environment.

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Previous work on St. Lawrence found that despite remediation at FUD sites, short-lived,
lower trophic level fish remain contaminated with high levels of PCBs.

Even after site remediation, contaminants from Cold War FUD sites remain a potential health threat to local residents – in this case, Yupik people who had no influence over site selection and use by the US military. (von Hippel et al., 2018)

Male fish collected from the Suqi River indicate exposure to estrogenic contaminants such as PCBs. Some fish also showed hypothryroid condition. (von Hippel et al., 2018)