Elements of a Science Plan for the NORTH PACIFIC RESEARCH BOARD by National Research Council of the National Academies

Author:National Research Council of the National Academies
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Earth Sciences : Policy, Reviews and Evaluations
Publisher: NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
Published: 2004-04-13T00:00:00+00:00

Contaminants

Many toxic substances released by human activities enter the marine environment either directly through outfalls or indirectly through runoff or the atmosphere. Contaminants that biomagnify, including mercury and organochlorine compounds, are a particular concern because they become concentrated in the higher levels of the food chain even in regions remote from the source (Environmental Protection Agency, 1997). Three primary types of risks are perceived: (1) toxicity to individual organisms, from microbes to mammals, or to the ecosystem; (2) toxicity to humans, especially those such as Alaskan Natives whose diet may consist predominantly of aquatic foods; and (3) contamination of fisheries resources that affects marketability. Based on community input, there is much concern in Alaska about the contamination of food that is important for the subsistence economy, especially seal and whale fat and shellfish. There are currently few monitoring programs, although Macdonald et al. (2003a,b) and Stein and Macdonald (2003) review marine contaminants in the NPRB study region and discuss the importance of monitoring contaminants in the context of physics and biology. Nonetheless, clarification of whether or not this concern is well founded with regard to human health and the health of the marine ecosystem is necessary.

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