Wildlife in Nunavut are contaminated with chemicals, but there are no obvious physical signs of it yet, a World Wildlife Fund study says.

Researchers from Ontario's Trent University teamed up with three Inuit hunting and trapping organizations to test tissue samples of Arctic char, beluga whales and ringed seals for contaminants such as PCBs and DDT.

Although the study did not find any outward sign of toxicity, it says the observations of the Inuit hunters along with the elevated level of contaminants in the tissue suggest subtle changes are taking place in Arctic wildlife due to contaminants.

Trent researcher Gordon Balch says the study also showed the importance of developing baseline data of wildlife health in the North.

"We certainly need much more work being done in Arctic regions," said Balch.

"The work needs to be done on a larger scale because these are complex issues and something that will likely not be able to be fully addressed by any single research group, but it will take a collective effort."

Wider study needed

"We need to understand that contaminants [are] only one aspect to what is happening in the North," said Balch.

"We need to understand how these things, from contaminants to climate changes to changes in habitat and food availability for the animals, how these things cumulatively will affect animal health."

With International Polar Year on the horizon, northern research will get more attention, he says.

Hunters and trappers from Pangnirtung, Coral Harbour and Arviat collected tissue samples for the study.