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Polar bears are the top predator in the Arctic food chain, so they absorb all the toxic contaminants from the lower animals.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were once used as a cooling fluids and insulators in Transformers and electric motors, but were widely contaminating the environment, so in 2004 the international community acted to ban the synthetic chemicals.

PCBs dissolve easily in fat, and the mother bears' milk is rich in fat, so this is how they are passed on to the young cubs.

PCBs interfere with the bears' thyroid hormones, which are essential to control their temperatures In the freezing Arctic conditions.

A study in 2008 showed that amounts of PCBs in Norwegian polar bears have dropped significantly, though they are still at dangerous levels.

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11y ago

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