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Annie Alowa at a contaminated site on St. Lawrence Island.
Photo courtesy Alaska Community Action on Toxics. |
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spent $125 million to clean up contaminants left behind when the U.S. Air Force base at Northeast Cape on St. Lawrence Island closed in 1972. An
article in the
Summer 2018 Alaska Justice Forum discusses studies following the cleanup. While state and federal health studies recommend continued reliance upon traditional foods, St. Lawrence Island community members are conducting their own studies. They fear contaminants in traditional foods may be contributing to elevated levels of PCBs in their blood, higher cancer rates, and reproductive system challenges.
