EHN: Study shows Mohawk youth with high contaminations

Wednesday, June 1, 2011  

"Decades after fish and wildlife advisories went into effect, industrial pollutants found in the blood of Native American youth and young adults show that the younger generation is still at risk from long-banned contaminants.

Teenagers from the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation in New York state had PCB concentrations twice the national average, when compared to a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention national survey.

Significantly higher amounts were found in first borns, those who were breastfed and those who ate fish in the prior year. Levels were also higher in those born before the advisory that recommended against eating their traditional fish and animal foods, the University of Albany study finds. The results are published in the journal Chemosphere."

Get the Story:
Native American teenagers' have legacy of PCB pollution. (Environmental Health News 6/1)