Biomonitoring
Differential gene expression and developmental pathologies associated with persistent organic pollutants in sentinel fish in Troutman Lake, Sivuqaq, Alaska
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are lipophilic compounds that bioaccumulate in animals and biomagnify within food webs. Many POPs are endocrine disrupting compounds that impact vertebrate development. POPs accumulate in the Arctic via global distillation and thereby impact high trophic level vertebrates as well as people who live a subsistence lifestyle. The Arctic also contains thousands of point…
Read MoreDiffusive fluxes of persistent organic pollutants between Arctic atmosphere, surface waters and sediments
Arctic communities are disproportionately exposed to pollutants from sources including global atmospheric transport and formerly used defense sites (FUDS). The effects of climate change and increasing development in the Arctic have the potential to exacerbate this problem. Yupik People of Sivuqaq, or St Lawrence Island, Alaska are one such community with documented exposures to pollutants from FUDS, and their…
Read MoreProtecting the health of future generations in the arctic through community-based participatory research and action
The Arctic is a hemispheric sink for persistent industrial chemicals and pesticides that are transported on atmospheric and oceanic currents from lower latitudes through a process known as global distillation. These chemicals bioaccumulate in the bodies of fish, wildlife, and people of the north. Far from pristine, the Arctic contains some of the most highly…
Read MorePFAS and PBDEs in traditional subsistence foods from Sivuqaq, Alaska
The Arctic is a hemispheric sink for both legacy and current use persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Once in the Arctic, POPs biomagnify in food webs, potentially reaching concentrations in high trophic level animals that pose a health concern for people who subsist on those animals. Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic may be highly exposed to…
Read MorePFAS in drinking water and serum of the people of a southeast Alaska community: A pilot study
This study assessed PFAS exposure in Gustavus, a small southeast Alaska community, located near a significant PFAS source from airport operations and fire training sites. Our results confirm the presence of a significant PFAS source and suggest that contaminated drinking water from private wells contributes to the overall PFAS body burden in Gustavus residents.
Read MoreThreats to Drinking Water and Public Health in Alaska – The Scope of the PFAS Problem, Consequences of Regulatory Inaction, and Recommendations
This investigative report informs actions to address the public health crisis caused by PFAS contamination. In Alaska, the dispersive use of AFFF (aqueous film forming foam) on military bases and airports has contaminated the drinking water of communities from the North Slope to SE Alaska. PFAS have been discovered at over 100 individual sites (mostly…
Read MoreExposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and associations with serum thyroid hormones in a remote population of Alaska Natives
Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are known to accumulate in traditional food animals of the Arctic, and arctic indigenous peoples may be exposed via consumption of subsistence-harvested animals. PFASs are suspected of disrupting thyroid hormone homeostasis in humans. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between serum PFASs and thyroid function in a remote…
Read MoreAssociations between serum polybrominated diphenyl ethers and thyroid hormones in a cross sectional study of a remote Alaska Native population
The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between serum PBDEs and thyroid function in a remote population of St. Lawrence Island Yupik people. Serum samples were collected from 85 individuals from St. Lawrence Island, Alaska and analyzed for concentrations of PBDEs, free and total thyroxine (T4), free and total triiodothyronine (T3), and…
Read MoreExposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers and perfluoroalkyl substances in a remote population of Alaska Natives
We assessed exposure to PBDEs and PFAS among residents of two remote Alaska Native villages on St. Lawrence Island. We also measured these contaminants in the sentinel fish species, ninespine stickleback and Alaska blackfish.
Read MorePersistent organochlorine pesticide exposure related to a formerly used defense site on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska: data from sentinel fish and human sera
This study examined whether the Northeast Cape FUDS is a source of exposure to organochlorine pesticides. A total of 71 serum samples were collected during site remediation from volunteers that represented three geographic regions of Sivuqaq (St. Lawrence Island). We found elevated levels of pesticides associated with the former military site in the environment and…
Read MorePolychlorinated Biphenyls In Serum Of The Siberian Yupik People From St. Lawrence Island, Alaska
The aim of this study was to determine serum levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in Yupik adults from St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, and to determine the relative contribution of atmospheric transport of PCBs and local contamination to body burdens. Our study found that atmospheric transport of PCBs contributes to elevated levels in the Yupik people,…
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