Concentration of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons and Heavy Metals in Alaska Arctic Marine Mammals

Over the last decade, a baseline database on anthropogenic contaminants in Alaska marine mammals has been developing through the efforts of several independent investigations as well as larger research programs. Although still somewhat limited in scope, the largest amount of data exists for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), DDT, mercury, and cadmium in walrus, beluga whale, bowhead whale, and ringed seal. Because of their relatively large contribution to the total chlorinated hydrocarbon levels in Arctic species, chlordane and toxaphene are two pesticides that are also gaining attention. Comparison of the Alaska database with the results of studies conducted in Canada and Greenland, indicates that patterns of many accumulative substances are quite similar in species that occur across the North American Arctic.