The Invisible Pollutant in the Canadian Arctic

April 6, 2007 — -- Elizabeth Andre is a member of the Global Warming 101 expedition currently on a four-month trip around the most remote, inhabited regions of the Arctic. This expedition to investigate the impact of global warming has been hampered by the very conditions it set out to document. This is an update on the trip as told to ABC NEWS.com.

The pristine beauty of the Canadian Arctic's Baffin Island is being ravaged by an unseen enemy. Airborne pollutants from the industrial cities to the south migrate to the Arctic on atmospheric currents. Invisible, odorless and tasteless, these poisonous chemicals and heavy metals accumulate in the fish that have been one of the main sources of food for natives here for thousands of years.

The levels of pollution travel up the food chain as seals eat fish and polar bears eat seals. People are at a very high risk from pollution since they are on top of the food chain.

In Baffin Island, where the Will Steger Global Warming 101 expedition is traveling, the local diet is still much the same as it was thousands of years ago; fish, seal, narwhal and bear. Pollutants in the food supply mean that the locals are constantly accumulating poisonous chemicals in their bodies.

The poisons are so harmful that Inuit women's unborn children and nursing infants are at risk. On Baffin Island, three quarters of women have PCB levels that exceed Canada's "level of concern." These poisons suppress the infants' immune systems, cause learning disabilities, alter hormone and reproductive systems, and obstruct brain development. The World Health Organization now recommends that Inuit women not breast-feed their infants.

However, traditional "country foods" are more nutritious than the imported processed food available in the community store. Country food also help the Inuit maintain their culture and connection with the land.

Furthermore, on Baffin Island all store-bought food is delivered by cargo plane, making it expensive for large families with limited income. A gallon of milk, for instance, costs more than 14 dollars.

As the Global Warming 101 expedition packed our expedition food at Steger's Minnesota homestead we wondered whether the Inuit team members want to eat oatmeal for breakfast. We contacted Inuit leader Theo Ikummaq of Iglulik, who replied, "I would prefer to eat char."

Arctic char, the northernmost species of freshwater fish, is a mainstay of the Inuit diet. A member of the Salmonidae family, its flesh is pink like salmon but has a more mild taste. Some populations of char stay in freshwater lakes for their whole lives while others migrate to the sea in the summer to feed.

The Inuit members of the Global Warming 101 expedition team eat char not only in the mornings, but also anytime during the day when they need nourishment and energy. When the dog sleds pause during the day, we Minnesota team members eat dried fruit, nuts, chocolate and chunks of frozen cheese from plastic bags. The Inuit members, on the other hand, pull a 15-pound frozen Arctic char from a wooden crate on the back of their komatiq sled.

With a sharp knife the Inuit expertly cut slivers of the flesh and pop the frozen morsels into their mouths. It's the Arctic version of sashimi. At first we Minnesota members joked that we would like some wasabi and pickled ginger to accompany the raw char. We have now, however, come to appreciate the flavor and texture of the char.

As the climate changes and water warms, Arctic char increase their rates of respiration. This raises the amount of heavy metals that build up in their flesh. These heavy metals can then accumulate in the bodies of animals and people who eat the char.

Heavy metals are especially worrisome in children and in women of childbearing age. Mercury, a neurotoxin, can cause birth defects, learning disabilities and other health problems. It's a serious threat to the Inuit because a large portion of their diet comes from char and other marine animals.

On the expedition, when our energy is low and our stomachs are rumbling with hunger pains, however, the threat of mercury is far from our minds. We pause for a snack break, enjoy the delicious char and share in a cultural tradition that is thousands of years old.

When we American members of the expedition team return to Minnesota, we will have the option to limit our mercury intake by choosing to avoid certain fish. The Inuit, on the other hand, have little choice.

Much of this mercury comes from coal-burning power plants in the United States and Canada. Current proposals for numerous, new coal-fired power plants hint at a future of continued pollution.