Environmental

Arctic Study Confirms Mother Whales Pass Contaminants To Fetus

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–November 7, 2012.  Pregnant beluga whales pass to their fetus a portion of the persistent organic pollutants, PCBs and flame retardants, they carry in their bodies, report researchers who measured the chemicals in the animals’ blubber. The study is one of the first to show whales, like people, can transfer and expose their developing offspring to persistent contaminants, whose long-term health effects continue to remain unclear.Beluga whale. Credit: NOAA

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