Antibiotics, antipyretics, hormones, and cosmetics have been found in the surface and wastewater of the Kongsfjorden fjord on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. The National Research Council raises the alarm in a study organized by the Institute of Polar Sciences (CNR-ISP) and published in the journal Science of the Total Environment. This research, which was conducted in partnership with the Norwegian Sintef Ocean Center and the University of Rome Sapienza, emphasized the presence of contaminants from both the international research bases of Ny-Ålesund and atmospheric and oceanic transport. "These compounds persist in the marine environment as a result of low temperatures and inadequate sunlight, posing a threat to aquatic organisms and fostering antibiotic resistance", explains Jasmin Rauseo, a researcher at CNR-ISP. The study group's leader, Luisa Patrolecco, emphasizes the urgent need to strengthen monitoring programs and push worldwide legislation to safeguard the Arctic, an ecosystem as unique as it is fragile.