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MAY 23, 2001

One hundred twenty-seven countries on Tuesday formally adopted a treaty to ban or reduce the use of toxic chemicals that are poisoning Arctic Natives.

The "dirty doze" chemicals include PCBs, dioxins, and pesticides, otherwise known as persistent organic pollutants, or POPs. They affect Natives who live subistence lifestyles because they tend to gather in the fat of animals consumed by humans.

The countries, including the United States, will sign the treaty today.

Get the Story:
Environmentalists hope for early implementation of chemicals treaty (AP 5/22)
U.N. Treaty On Toxic Chemicals Is Adopted (Reuters 5/22)

Relevant Links:
How POPs threaten the Natural Environment and the Future of Indigenous Peoples - http://www.ienearth.org/pops_threat-p1.html
The Indigenous Environmental Network - http://www.ienearth.org
Contaminants in Alaska - http://www.state.ak.us/dec/deh/contaminants.htm
Persistent Organic Pollutants, the United Nations - http://irptc.unep.ch/pops

Related Stories:
Toxics poisoning Inuit Natives (5/22)
Bush to sign toxins treaty (4/20)
AP: Bush to sign toxin treaty (4/19)
EPA dioxin report opposed (4/12)
Alaska hails pollutant treaty (12/13)
Negotiations begin to ban pollutants (12/5)
Alaska Natives call for toxin study (10/13)
Scientists trace Arctic pollution to US (10/4)
Dioxins are everywhere (10/4)