Extraordinarily high levels of mercury and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are now found in the blubber, or fatty tissues, of Arctic marine mammals, an essential part of the traditional Inuit diet. Yet Duane Smith, president of the Inuit Circumpolar Conference, said at a recent intergovernmental meeting in northern Finland that despite such dangers, "it is still more nutritious to eat [a traditional diet]." Western-style foods do not provide the sustenance needed in the harsh Arctic, and a reliance on such foods would drastically change traditional ways of life. Also of concern to Inuit communities is global warming. Some "communities are eroding into the oceans in front of our eyes" because the melting of multi-layered ice allows for more severe storms, Smith said.
