Representatives from several indigenous Arctic communities are attending the fourth meeting of the United Nations Environment Program’s Conference of the Parties of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in Geneva, Switzerland. These UN conferences are devoted to limiting and eventually eliminating pollutant emissions of the most dangerous chemicals.

Arctic communities are key in this battle. It is they who are most affected by air and water pollution worldwide. The Arctic acts as a “cold trap” for both atmospheric and oceanic contaminants that drift to the region. Indigenous communities not only breathe the thin, polluted air but also rely heavily on contaminated sea creatures for sustenance.

Even in low doses, the chemicals the UN is addressing can have harmful health effects including suppression of the immune system, developmental disabilities, diabetes, impairment of reproductive health and cancer.

Chemicals in their air and food also harm unborn children in these areas. Last year, a study conducted by the Alaska State Department of Public Health revealed the highest rate of birth defects in the nation—double the national average. Scientists from the United Nations Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program discovered in 2007 that there is a gender imbalance in the Arctic areas of Greenland, Canada and Russia caused by the chemicals there. Harmful chemicals are also secreted to young children through breast milk.

The United States has yet to ratify the Stockholm Convention.

The Food and Drug Administration has released warnings about the possibility of serious injuries and even death caused by the cancer-treatment drug Tarceva. Generically known as erlotinib, Tarceva is administered as a once-daily pill taken by the patient on an empty stomach. It is intended to block tumor growth in lung and pancreatic cancer patients.

Serious injuries now associated with Tarceva are fatal holes in the gastrointestinal tract, toxic epidermal necrolysis (blistering and separation of the top layer of skin), corneal perforations, and eye ulcerations.

Tarceva is manufactured by Genentech Inc. and OSI Pharmaceutical Inc. The FDA approved Tarceva in 2004 to treat locally advanced lung cancer and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.  In 2005, Tarceva was approved to treat locally advanced pancreatic cancer when used in combination with gemcitabine.

Heparin is a drug given to patients to help prevent blood clots from becoming big and causing serious problems.  But now it is being investigated if heparin is the cause of sickening five patients at the Beebe Medical Center in Delaware.

Wallace Hudson, vice president for corporate affairs at the Lewes Hospital, said that two of the sick patients have recovered, and no further cases have been discovered.  It is not certain when samples that have been sent to be tested will come back he said.  “We hope it’s soon.  We don’t want this thing dragging on,” he stated.  “But we need to find out what went wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he concluded.

The three other patients have been transferred to the University of Maryland Medical Center and the Christiana Hospital.

Baxter Healthcare Corporation is the manufacturer of the heparin.  They recalled batches of the drug in 2008 when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found that it was contaminated.

The use of heparin has been suspended at Beebe.  Representatives from Baxter were said to be at Beebe to assist with an examination of the accident.

The ability of heparin to repress clotting and coagulation makes it suspect for serious side effects if given in too large doses.  In itself, heparin is not a defective drug but some shipments of the drug, which were made in China, were tainted.

Three of the sickened patients had internal bleeding according to Hudson.  Beebe has notified the FDA along with the Delaware Health Care Operations Center.