499 



3. Pftmtm flfenvtranmaital noUutinn «hoiit wMeh neopte am m»«* mnfiCTTial 



Since ttae reiUlBott of te North Slope Borough live in the Aicdc nd dace most 

 are EsUmo people who depend heavily opoD wildlifb lesouices of the land and Ka, it is 

 leeiooable to expect that there Is a Ugh tevd of coQcein regBfdinc poUutioo of the arctic 

 eoviroDment Pram having lived in the Alaskan Arctic for many yean, tnm having 

 tnveled extensively thiougbout coastal and inland areas, and fiom kmg asaodatioo with 

 usen of wildlife resources it is dear to me that many people often group environmental 

 pollutants faito die 5 categories briefly noted below. 



3.1 and 3.2: Prohablytiie most warriaome pollutants to many people are stiQal 

 gU and the aoijM aisodated widi oAhore actlvides (rf die oil and gu 

 industry. Since at this hearing we are consideKingpoUiitionfirom activities 

 of the ftemer Soviet Uoioo, tboK two fonms of pollution (ofl ^nll and 

 nolle) are probably not appropriate for ftirther mentiaa. 



3.3: In the contat of pollutants from the former Soviet Union people 



are concerned about aw^<. u^y md all fnmni nf utmfttnharie poiiiitinn 

 Atmoqiberic pollutants, some of wUch came from (and stiU come from) 

 dM former Soviet Uaioa, not only ditecdy aflect assets of the 

 enviroomeBt (sodi as die tundra) but these pollutants of die air can also 

 indirecdy affiect the arcdc envirooment dmw^ tiieir oontrlbntian to die 

 global warmfaig problem. Since ellbcts of global wanning will be bodi 

 early and significant in die Arctic, it is easy to see diat atmoqiherio 

 polhition is a teal coaoecn to arctic residents. 



3.4: As can be imagined, peqde of die Norifa Slope Borough are also 



be. The infonnatiOB in populv media and informadan presented at this 

 hearing show dat diere has been massive poOudoo ci die nocdieni areas 

 <rf die former Soviet Union by radioactive material. 



People cf arctic Alaska realiie dMt such radkMCdve pollutants can 

 reach diem throagh die a rm o qihr.re and/or duDagh die marine 

 eoviroomeat No matter how Ae cadioactivB omnpoeads arrive diey will 

 sorely reach peo^ diroegh die food cfaaio. 



3J: In additioo to die abofve noted poUutwts, people of die Nbcdi Slope 



Bn«».|ii «« /.n«r>>n«H ■hn.f h^gp/y Jm^]^ j|w< .^ rf>^tr>l iinH.rt».f 



Concern over such poUntaats (puikxiiiAy cadmiam and meroary) has 

 been hcigMWied even before we learned about releaaes finoai the former 

 Soviet UalOB. Unfbrtunalaty, there are devated levels of certain heavy 

 metals hi some of die marine mammals (particularf y wabis) using dw 

 Bering Sea. Since diese animals are inqwrtant sources of food to Native 



