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Pcb-Contaminated Food In The Canadian Arctic: Interactions Between Environmental Policy, Cultural Values, And The Healthcare System, Katharine K. Brieger

Pomona Senior Theses

Current Canadian policies do not adequately prevent water contamination or mitigate the effects of existing polychlorinated biphenyl pollution. There is conflict between the Canadian government and the Inuit people over how to approach the pollution problem, arising from a clash of cultural values and traditions. Legislation related to healthcare is an inherently sensitive issue and some measures that seem acceptable to westernized societies are not appropriate for the Inuit. The purpose of this thesis is to answer (a) why polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are in the Arctic, (b) what the effects of PCBs are on the Arctic people, and (c) how …