Man-made chemicals blamed as many more girls than boys are born in Arctic
Paul Brown in Nuuk, Greenland
(excerpts from The Guardian):
(excerpts from The Guardian):
Twice as many girls as boys are being born in some Arctic villages because of high levels of man-made chemicals in the blood of pregnant women, according to scientists from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (Amap).
The scientists, who say the findings could explain the recent excess of girl babies across much of the northern hemisphere, are widening their investigation across the most acutely affected communities in Russia, Greenland and Canada to try to discover the size of the imbalance in Inuit communities of the far north. In the communities of Greenland and eastern Russia monitored so far, the ratio was found to be two girls to one boy.
In one village in Greenland only girls have been born. "Here in the north of Greenland, in the villages near the Thule American base, only girl babies are being born to Inuit families."
The scientists measured the man-made chemicals in women's blood that mimic human hormones (BISPHENOL-A) and concluded that they were capable of triggering changes in the sex of unborn children in the first three weeks of gestation. The chemicals are carried in the mother's bloodstream through the placenta to the fetus, switching hormones to create girl children.
The scientists, who say the findings could explain the recent excess of girl babies across much of the northern hemisphere, are widening their investigation across the most acutely affected communities in Russia, Greenland and Canada to try to discover the size of the imbalance in Inuit communities of the far north. In the communities of Greenland and eastern Russia monitored so far, the ratio was found to be two girls to one boy.
In one village in Greenland only girls have been born. "Here in the north of Greenland, in the villages near the Thule American base, only girl babies are being born to Inuit families."
The scientists measured the man-made chemicals in women's blood that mimic human hormones (BISPHENOL-A) and concluded that they were capable of triggering changes in the sex of unborn children in the first three weeks of gestation. The chemicals are carried in the mother's bloodstream through the placenta to the fetus, switching hormones to create girl children.
The Arctic scientists have discovered that many of the babies born in Russia are premature and the boys are far smaller than girls. Possible links between the pollutants and high infant mortality in the first year of life is also being investigated.
Aqqaluk Lynge, the former chairman of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference who hails from Greenland, said: "This is a disaster, especially for some 1,500 people who make up the Inuit nations in the far north east of Russia.
Full results for the widening of the survey would not be published until next year but preliminary results for Greenland showed the same 2:1 ratio in the north.
Aqqaluk Lynge, the former chairman of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference who hails from Greenland, said: "This is a disaster, especially for some 1,500 people who make up the Inuit nations in the far north east of Russia.
Full results for the widening of the survey would not be published until next year but preliminary results for Greenland showed the same 2:1 ratio in the north.
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