Flame Retardants, Pesticides - A Whole New Cocktail Of POPs Found In Polar Bears
New tests have found a wide range of previously undiscovered contaminants in polar bears around Hudson Bay.
The new study complicates our understanding of the complex cocktail of chemicals the bears are exposed to as they try to adapt to changing climate, said Environment Canada researcher Robert Letcher. "For many of these newer compounds, there isn't a lot of toxicological information," he said.
Biologists have long known that polar bears as well as other arctic animals carry toxic chemicals known as persistent organic pollutants — or POPs — in their bodies. Those chemicals, which include substances such as PCBs, damage immune, digestive and reproductive systems.
Many of those pollutants are restricted under the 2001 Stockholm Convention. New chemicals have been added since, including substances used for everything from flame retardants to pesticides.
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/polar-bears-hudson-bay-chemical-1.4367638
