Polar bears are well-known to store many deadly pollutants in their fat. They store chemicals such as PCB’s from the food that they eat. Being at the top of the food chain leads them to have high concentrations of toxins. New research indicates that polar bears are no longer some of the most polluted species in the Arctic. The Greenland shark is even more contaminated.
While PCB contamination of the ecosystem in the Arctic is beginning to ease following the banning of the chemical 30 years ago new pollutants – especially those used in fire-retardants – are becoming more widespread in the region. The new pollutants are also accumulated throughout the food chain and can be particularly damaging to wildlife as they can interfere with hormone production. Some polar bears in the Arctic are already recorded to be hermaphrodites – with both male and female sex organs – because of the action of the chemicals.
A study by a team of marine researchers from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the Norwegian Polar Institute and Windsor University in Canada have shown that the fat in the Greenland shark can contain more of these toxins that the fat of polar bears.
The researchers wanted to study behaviour, distribution, population size, concentrations of pollutants and the effect of pollutants on the species. Forty-three individuals were marked with a tracking device and a depth gauge. The researchers also took liver samples.
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