Scientific Conference Participants Alarmed By Rising Arctic Mercury Levels - CBC

[hatrack]

Concerns about mercury and other contaminates in the North will dominate the agenda at a major Arctic scientific conference in Victoria, B.C., this week. The event, which began Monday, brings together more than 400 scientists and representatives from aboriginal groups and a number of Northern organizations.

The weeklong conference combines workshops from the federal government's northern contaminants program (NCP) along with the annual meeting of ArcticNet, a group of scientists and researchers working in the North. Attendees will examine the NCP's research on distant contaminants, including PCBs, dioxins and mercury, entering the Arctic environment by air or water.

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We're seeing some very significant increases of mercury in the animals and potentially the people who eat the animals as well, so it's a concern that we're studying right now," he said.

ArcticNet's annual scientific meeting begins Tuesday with scientists sharing results from their studies on the impact of climate change in the North and contaminants in the marine ecosystem.

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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2006/12/11/arctic-scientists.html

[jhhh]

1. mercury

this is very frightening. Once mercury gets into the food chain it is there to stay for a while. When concetrations get high enough sterility and cancers becomes a serious problem.