Pollution

Pollutants are found in polar bears around the Arctic, including Greenland, Canada and Alaska.

The polar bear’s natural environment may seem far away from the pollution in major cities and industrial areas in North America, Europe and Asia. But in reality, wind and ocean currents transport pollutants long distances into the Arctic. As a result, polar bears can carry surprisingly high loads of toxic industrial chemicals. Reducing these pollutants will not only help polar bears, but people, too.

Why is pollution a threat to polar bears?

• Heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) become concentrated as they make their way up the food chain, from algae to amphipods to fish, to seals and then to polar bears.

• POPs tend to accumulate in fatty tissue — and the polar bear diet is primarily fat. In the case of “forever chemicals” (PFAS), the highest concentrations are found in liver, kidney and muscle tissue.

• When polar bears are fasting in the summer, that fat breaks down and that may create a spike in blood contaminants.

Why is this important?

• Harm to polar bears: Researchers are finding a variety of negative effects from pollutants on polar bears, including:

• Neurological changes

• Lower bone density

• Disrupted metabolism

• Smaller reproductive organs and lower testosterone levels

• Harm to people: Inuit people in some regions depend on polar bears for subsistence. Therefore, high levels of this contamination in food is a health issue for people.