Chemicals from fire retardants and other materials have accumulated in seals, whales and other animals of the Bering Sea, showing that pollutants from thousands of miles away continue to contaminate animals that Indigenous people depend on for food.
A bowhead whale and calf are seen swimming in an open-water lead the Arctic Ocean in this undated photo. A new study appears to be the first to document the presence of PFAS compounds, known as “forever chemicals,” in body tissues of bowhead whales.
PBDEs are a class of compounds used as flame retardants. PFAS compounds are also used for that purpose but are found in a wide variety of consumer products such as cosmetics, clothing and cookware; they are known as “forever chemicals” because they do not break down in the environment. PBDEs have been phased out in the United States since 2004, but there is no national PFAS ban.
“Our people still feel the benefits outweigh the risks. It is our identity,” she said. “We’re intricately tied to our lands and waters and wildlife that have sustained our people since time immemorial.” The study, which used tissue samples provided by local hunters, is the latest in a series in a research program conducted by ACAT and its partners. The program traces back to the advocacy of, a former health aide in Savoonga, who pushed for cleanup of military pollution on the island after watching so many villagers get cancer and other health problems. Much of the inspiration for ACAT’s founding and its continued work; she died of cancer herself in 1999.
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