SWAN Village-to-Village Messaging System: Science for Conservation

Science for Conservation

Posted by Margaret on 3/21/2008, 3:00 pm
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Contaminants in Alaska:
Is America's Artic at Risk?
Interagency Collaborative Paper

U.S. Department of the Interior - State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation & Department of Health & Social Services - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - University of Alaska Institute for Circumpolar Health Studies

Alaska Federation of Natives - Alaska Native Science Commission - Alaska Inter-Tribal Council - Native American Fish and Wildlife Society - Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium - Alaska Community Action on Toxics - North Slope Borough

September 2000

U.S. Department of Interior

“The act and ritual of our subsistence food activities encompass who we are, and all that we are and is a vital source of our spirituality. I emphasize these things because I want you to know how much of an impact the threat of contaminants has on these things which are so sacred to us.”

Sally Smith, Chairperson, Alaska Native Health Board

Changes are occurring in America's Arctic. Chemicals rarely used in the Arctic are appearing in Alaska's air, water, fish, plants, and wildlife. These contaminants are of concern locally and globally. Locally, fish and wildlife are an essential part of the Alaskan Native diet and culture. Globally, this unanticipated concentration of pollutants may be sending an important message about how contaminants travel and accumulate far from the original source. The presence of environmental pollutants in the Arctic is particularly troubling because the Arctic ecosystem is fragile and slow to recover from impacts.

The contaminants of greatest concern are persistent organic pollutants, or POPs. These include DDT, PCBs, and dioxins. POPs have a broad range of negative effects. They are transported to the Arctic by large-scale air and water currents and some migratory species. Heavy metals, including mercury, cadmium, selenium, arsenic, and lead are also of great concern in the Arctic, and some are occurring at levels that can't be explained by natural releases.

The levels of persistent organic pollutants found in the Alaskan Arctic are surprising because POPs were not manufactured in the Arctic. Although this paper focuses on the long-range transport of contaminants, some POPs were used at military installations during World War II and the Cold War, and these sites also concern local residents.

The use of some POPs has been banned for many years in the United States, Canada, and some European nations. However, these contaminants can travel long distances from areas in Russia, Asia, and other countries where they are still used.

U.S. Department of Interior

"Much of the cultural traditions, values, and subsistence activities has been passed from generation to generation, so much of the lifestyle remains even with the great changes that have been brought about by the western world . . . . The Arctic is our classroom. Our inherent cultural traditions, values and beliefs are in danger of being lost."

Sterling Gologergen,Yupik from Savoonga, St. Lawrence Island, in northwestern Alaska.

POPs and heavy metals are showing up in Alaska's wildlife. In the Aleutian Islands for example, bald eagles, sea otters, and Steller sea lions all have elevated levels of the pesticide DDT and some other contaminants. Concentrations of the pesticide hexachlorohexane (HCH) in male polar bears from Alaska are among the highest in the Arctic. Sea otters from Adak on the Aleutian Chain had concentrations of DDT 36 times higher than sea otters in Southeast Alaska. Some killer whales in the North Pacific are now considered among the most contaminated marine mammals on earth.

People also are exposed to these pollutants. Canadian studies have shown that the concentration of PCBs in the blood of adult Inuit is approximately seven times higher than in other North American adult populations that have been tested. Preliminary studies also show that Alaskan Natives in western and southwestern communities have also been exposed to PCBs and DDT.

The world's Arctic is at risk from potentially harmful contaminants. In Alaska, they have been found in water, air, wildlife, and humans. There is good reason to suspect that harmful effects are likely in some instances, but conclusive evidence is lacking. An organized, systematic approach is needed to properly evaluate the real risks posed by these chemicals and to identify actions needed to reduce unacceptable risks. As many other Arctic countries have done, the United States should establish a fully funded Arctic contaminants program. By taking action now, Alaska's rich natural resources can be protected for future generations.