July 26th, 2011

Climate change could release toxins trapped in arctic ice

Despite a global decrease in the production of certain toxic chemicals, we may be in for an onslaught.

That’s because rising global temperatures are causing the release of persistent organic pollutants, such as DDT and PCBs, which have been locked in arctic ice for more than half a century.

Although the chemicals were created to provide societal benefits, such as killing mosquitoes and protecting crops, it didn’t take long for scientists to see they were having devastating effects on the environment.

Studies have shown many of these chemicals can cause cancer, birth defects and other health problems. And they don’t just wash away. Persistent organic pollutants, as the class of chemicals is known, stick around for decades before finally breaking down. Read more.

Photo: U.S. Geological Survey/Flickr

23 notes·
toxins
global warming
climate change
environment
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  1. mgolladwyne reblogged this from silas216
  2. silas216 reblogged this from centerforinvestigativereporting
  3. theamericanbear reblogged this from centerforinvestigativereporting
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  5. taralewisblog reblogged this from angelawublog and added:
    Hopefully not exactly like the movie, but still this is alarming.
  6. angelawublog reblogged this from centerforinvestigativereporting and added:
    That awful movie, The Happening… It’s real!
  7. sahrawi reblogged this from centerforinvestigativereporting
  8. centerforinvestigativereporting posted this
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