Levels in breast milk were elevated in the Inuit as well. DDT was also found in high levels. In northern Quebec, the average woman had 4.6 micrograms of it per liter of plasma, while a woman in Iceland had just 0.9. When they came in and did testing on blood and breast milk, they were shocked. Scientists say the toxins can cause cancer, damage reproductive and neurological organs, injure immune systems and cause learning disabilities.
Research continues to ascertain the actual toll on Inuit health.
There is initial evidence that cancer is a problem. We just don't know the effect of long-term exposure to POPs at a low dosage. Toxins travel here in low concentrations in ocean currents, or in the winds, falling in places where they have never been used. Abandoned pesticides have been poured into drinking water. Poorly controlled incinerators produce dioxins.