Alaska Meltwater Poses Cancer Risk

Orange County, CA - December 14th, 2018 -  Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are synthetic pesticides that were mainly used in the chemical and agriculture industry from the 1940s through the 1960s. Typical compounds in this group include DDT, Methoxychlor, Dieldrin, Chlordane, Lindane, and Benzene Hexachloride. Although most of the highly toxic class of organochlorine pesticides like DDT were banned in the early 1970s, some chemicals retained specific uses. For instance, Lindane is still allowed today as scabies and lice shampoo.

A new study from researchers at the University of Maine Climate Change Institute found that adolescents in Alaska who eat a lot of fish from the rivers fed by the Eastern Alaska Mountain Range may be at an increased risk of cancer. The increased risk is higher in children than it is for adults because of their size and lifetime exposure.

Researchers inspected the past and present amount of DDT and lindane that was deposited into the Jarvis Glacier, located in Eastern Alaska northwest of Juneau. They analyzed glacial meltwater and ice core samples down to the bedrock.

The results found that samples taken between 20 and 45 feet contained the highest concentrations of organochlorines, with them decreasing closer to bedrock. Although concentrations detected are low, researchers believe that the risk is not from direct exposure, but the bioconcentration of these chemicals that are climbing up the food chain.

These concerns are more than likely to intensify as climate change speeds up the rate of melting, making children particularly vulnerable. “This secondary impact of climate change will be felt most strongly by children, and needs to be addressed in a comprehensive way,” said study coauthor Kimberly Miner, Ph.D.

The study was recently published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology.

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Alaska Meltwater Poses Cancer Risk Orange County, CA – December 14th, 2018 –  Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are synthetic pesticides that were mainly used in the chemical and agriculture industry from the 1940s through the 1960s. Typical compounds in this group include DDT, Methoxychlor, Dieldrin, Chlordane, Lindane, and Benzene Hexachloride. Although most of the highly toxic class of […]