Forest fires and straw and stubble burning for farmland in regions as far afield as North America and Eastern Europe have a devastating effect on the Arctic’s environment, a Norwegian study published Tuesday found.
According to the study published by the Research Council of Norway, fires in North America and Eastern Europe release persistent organic pollutants (POPs), including the toxic compound polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB).
These POPs, which are the result of accumulated pollution and have been stocked in North American and Eastern Europe soils over time, are now found at record levels in the Arctic, where they are brought by winds and contaminate the food chain.
PCB enters the food chain as it is stored in the fatty tissues of living organisms.
The toxic substance affects humans, fish, and carnivores such as the polar bear, already threatened by the shrinking of the Arctic ice field.
Source: Forest, agricultural fires threaten the Arctic: report – France24
Date: 1 June 2010
Climate Change
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