Antarctica Contaminated by Toxic Heavy Metals – Report

Antarctica is contaminated with toxic heavy metals. So says the research from a group of scientists published in the journal Science of The Total Environment who found evidence of such metal contamination dating back to as early as the 13th Century.

So, humanity is not just responsible for climate change, which is causing the ice of Antarctica to melt away, but it is also causing the pollution of the world’s last remaining pristine environment.

Toxic heavy metals are a group of elements that can be detrimental to human health at even low levels of exposure. They have a high density and a tendency to accumulate in our bodies over time, causing various health problems. While some are essential for life in trace amounts, such as iron and copper, their toxicity comes into play when their levels become excessive.

Depending on the metal and exposure level, various symptoms can occur, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, fatigue and weakness, headaches and dizziness, kidney and liver damage, nervous system problems, including learning and memory difficulties and cancer.

While minimizing exposure is crucial, heavy metals are ubiquitous in the environment. Consult a healthcare professional if you’re concerned about your or someone’s potential exposure, especially if you have high-risk factors like young children or pregnant women.

Records from polar and alpine ice reflect past changes in background and industrial toxic heavy metal emissions, said the researchers. While Northern Hemisphere records have been used to evaluate environmental effects and linkages to historical events such as foreign conquests, plagues, economic downturns, and technological developments during the past three millennia, little is known about the magnitude and environmental effects of such emissions in the Southern Hemisphere or their historical linkages, especially prior to late 19th century industrialization.

The scientists used detailed measurements of the toxic heavy metals lead, cadmium, and thallium, as well as non-toxic bismuth, cerium, and sulfur in an array of five East Antarctic ice cores to investigate hemispheric-scale pollution during the Common Era. While thallium showed no anthropogenic increases, the other three metals increased by orders of magnitude in recent centuries after accounting for crustal and volcanic components.

These first detailed records indicate that East Antarctic lead pollution started in the 13th century coincident with Late Intermediate Period metallurgy in the Andes and was pervasive during the Spanish Colonial period in parallel with large-scale exploitation of Andean silver and other ore deposits. Lead isotopic variations suggest that 19th-century increases in lead, cadmium, and bismuth resulted from Australian lead and Bolivian tin mining emissions, with 20th century pollution largely the result of the latter.

“Seeing evidence that early Andean cultures 800 years ago, and later Spanish Colonial mining and metallurgy, appear to have caused detectable lead pollution 9,000 km away in Antarctica is quite surprising,” said Joe McConnell, Ph.D., research professor of hydrology at Desert Research Institute (DRI) and lead author of the study.

Antarctica is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent on Earth. The average temperature is a bone-chilling -57°C (-70°F). Most of the precipitation falls as snow, which contributes to the massive ice sheet.

Despite the harsh conditions, Antarctica is home to a variety of unique animals like Penguins, which are the stars of the show there, with seven different species waddling around the icy shores. Seals, whales, and albatrosses are also common sights. Even microscopic life thrives in the frigid waters and ice, playing a crucial role in the ecosystem.