The Project Chariot
The Project Chariot article details the experiences of the Inupiat living in the North Slope in Alaska during the proposed detonation of an atomic bomb in the area. The detonation was aimed at showcasing and examining the slow progress of radiation in arctic conditions. Furthermore, the bomb would have created a deep hole in the Arctic sea to create a harbor to be used in the export of coal and oil during the summer months (Chance 2). Opposition from local communities culminated in the abandonment of the project but the federal government secretly buried nuclear waste in the area to examine the spread of radioactivity in arctic conditions (Egan 26).
The Pollution
The pollution article discusses the high toxic conditions of food consumed by the Inuit natives of Greenland. Compared to other large Canadian cities, the Inuit are considered to ingest harmful chemicals and waste drifted into the Arctic by winds and waves from such cities and consumed by marine life. Marine animals are the largest traditional source of food for the Inuit compared to land generated food in other regions (Kone n.p.). Consequently, toxic PCBs and mercury have been recorded in unprecedented levels in their breast milk and bodies. As a result, a majority of Inuit children are faced with infections due to reduced immunity while bodies of a large number of the Inuit can be classified as hazardous material.
Toxic Food Consumption
The toxic food consumed by the Inuit people is further addressed in the third article by Bruce Johansen where he argues that the condition is more persistent in the Arctic as the cold conditions act as a cold trap. The cold trap phenomenon is where toxic waste fails to disintegrate fast and is consumed by marine life. The food from marine animals thus forms organic dioxins which are mainly chlorine based. The consequences include high infant mortality, increased cancer cases, birth defects, and neurological damages (Johansen 480). To combat these conditions, local people have taken initiative to create awareness both locally and internationally on the effects of pollution and they are more cautious about consuming sea animals before their meat is tested for toxins.
Works Cited
Kone, Marla. "Pollutants Drift North, Making Inuit’s Traditional Diet Toxic." Boston Globe (2004).
Chance, Norman. Project Chariot: Nuclear Legacy of Cape Thompson. 2003, pp. 1-4.
Egan, Timothy. "Eskimos learn they've been living amid secret pits of radioactive soil." New York Times (1992): 26.
Johansen, Bruce E. "The Inuit's struggle with dioxins and other organic pollutants." The American Indian Quarterly 26.3 (2002): pp. 479-490.
