Whale meat and blubber regularly consumed in Norway may contain some of the world's most dangerous toxins, the Worldwide Fund for Nature warns. What is more worrying is the long-term exposure to these chemicals and how they may cause an increase in cancer, affect the immune system and reduce sperm counts. The findings were below the tolerable daily intake limit set by the Norwegian government, but conservationists say the results present another argument against the resumption of international trade in whale products. The results come only a few months after the Convention for International Trade of Endangered Species in Flora and Fauna rejected Norway's proposal to reopen international trade in whale products. According to WWF, Norway continues to hold blubber stockpiles in the hope that the ban on whale meat products will be lifted.
Norwegian whalers can legally hunt, sell and consume whale meat and blubber.
It is frozen and stored, with the whalers hoping the restriction on international trade will be lifted so they can export it to Japan or Iceland where there is a market. According to Phillips, the average Norwegian consumes only seven ounces of whale meat per year. A 1998 study by the International Whaling Commission determined levels of contamination among some marine mammals are so high that the animals would be classified as hazardous waste sites if they were on land. Several reports circulated at the International Whaling Commission meeting in July about the level of contaminants of whale meat in Japan, Phillips added. Building on previous studies scientists have just reported new contaminants data from Japan, she said.