Tissue From E. Greenland Bears Show 19-27% Annual Increase In PFC Contamination Since 2000 - Star

[hatrack]

WESTERN ARCTIC–The iconic polar bear, already a marauding warehouse of toxic substances, is facing a new chemical assault that could trigger serious health problems in the bear population within the decade. The damage may include higher risk of cancers and impaired reproduction, say Danish environmental scientists in a study to be published shortly.

Testing 128 polar bears from East Greenland, the researchers found that the levels of a family of industrial chemicals called perfluoroalkyl contaminants (PFCs) have been increasing between 19 and 27 per cent annually since 2000. The rate of increase is more than double that from an earlier study of polar bears on Baffin Island by Canadian scientists.

In an email, University of Toronto chemistry professor Scott Mabury, a recognized leader in the field, said the measurements covering the years from 1984 to 2006 were "very powerful, much better than other studies, including ours, and helpful."

Concentrations of the PFCs in the livers of the Greenland polar bears are now greater than the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), a ubiquitous industrial chemical being phased out globally because of environmental and health concerns.

EDIT

http://www.thestar.com/News/Canada/article/350087

[marions ghost]

1. What these contaminants are....

FTOHs

Fluorotelomer alcohols are widely used as a feedstock in the chemical industry to produce a wide range of products.

PFCs

Perfluoroalkyl contaminants is the generic term for a chemical family that includes compounds used in firefighting foam, windshield washer fluids and the coating on greaseproof paper. These include PFOS, PFOA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnA, PFDoA, PETrA and PFOSA, all of which were measured in the livers of Greenland polar bears.

PFOs

Perfluorooctane sulfonates were found at levels 100 times greater than the other PFCs and are considered the biggest chemical threat.


What's no good for the bears aren't good for us either, most likely.