Heavy metals drop, but levels of PFAS in Svalbard reindeer skyrocket

Innovation News Network | April 10, 2026

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"The Svalbard reindeer are a subspecies of reindeer(or caribou) found only on the island, where they have existed for at least 5,000 years. They are about the third of the size of typical reindeer species and after facing extinction in the early 20th Century, have bounced back to a population of roughly 22,000.

The presence of heavy metals and other pollutants have been known to accrue in the Arctic, especially in species at the top of the food chain, such as the polar bear.

But the Svalbard reindeer represent the only major grazing animal in the European Arctic, feeding on tundra vegetation and themselves feeding local predator populations- as well as being hunted for their meat by humans- and questions remain about how many organic pollutants are present in their meat and fur."