Silent Snow: The Slow Poisoning of the Arctic.

SILENT SNOW: The Slow Poisoning of the Arctic MARLA CONE

Contaminants from industrialized nations ride the winds, settle in the ocean, and accumulate in the flesh of the animals at the top of the food chain--notably, the people of the Arctic North. In areas too frigid for agriculture, the ocean provides whale meat and fish that are now threatened by pollutants. Polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, and mercury are appearing in the breast milk of native women of Norway, Greenland, and other Arctic populations that rely on whales and other animals as their main sources of nourishment. These pollutants, in turn, are implicated in reductions in IQ of some native children. Environmental journalist Cone examines the difficulties faced by scientists seeking to identify the health effects of these pollutants and to protect native people from contaminated whale meat. She also ponders attempts to reduce contamination by discouraging whale hunting and altering other cultural practices. She notes that such practices may irrevocably alter these people's way of life. This tale is a sobering example of the ubiquity of industrial pollution. Grove Press, 2005, 256 p., b&w plates, hardcover, $24.00.