[CPEO-MEF] Toxic PCB levels soar above norm in St. Lawrence Natives

[CPEO Moderator <cpeo@cpeo.org>]

[POSTED BY Pamela Miller <pkmiller@akaction.net>]

Toxic PCB levels soar above norm in St. Lawrence Natives
TESTS: Old military bases are the suspected cause of the pollution.

By Tom Kizzia, Anchorage Daily News

Published: October  3, 2002

Native hunting and fishing families who camp near a Cold War Air Force
site on St. Lawrence Island have nearly 10 times as many toxic PCBs in
their blood as average Americans, according to a new study released
Wednesday in Anchorage.

The Northeast Cape military base closed in the early 1970s, but families
from Savoonga who use the area showed very high contamination in blood
tests taken a year ago, accordingto the study prepared by Alaska
Community Action on Toxics, an environmental group working with St.
Lawrence leaders under a federal environmental health grant.

Overall, Natives of Gambell and Savoonga, the two communities on the
Bering Sea island, averaged 7.5 parts per billion of PCBs in their
blood, compared with a national average of 0.9-1.5, according to the
study. A former Army base in Gambell is also suspected of being a source
of pollution, the group said.

You can read the full story online at:
http://www.adn.com/front/story/1884270p-1998499c.html

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