Includes bibliographical references (pages 227-234) and index.

A moral compass in a vast, lonely land -- I: The Arctic paradox -- Blowing in the wind: a contaminant's long journey north -- Unexpected poisons: serendipity at the top of the world -- The world's unfortunate laboratory -- Plight of the ice bear: top of the world, top of the food web -- Ties that bind in Greenland -- A fish can't feed a village: Alaska's communal hunts -- II: Scientists seeking order out of chaos -- Fear is toxic, too: communicating risk to Canada's Inuit -- Into the brains of babes: searching for clues in Faroese children -- Beyond silent spring: a global assault on sex hormones and immune systems -- The Arctic in flux: global conspirators and the whims of climate -- Islands of sudden change: the evolution of the Aleutians -- III: Solutions and predictions -- The diagnosis: scientists write a prescription -- POPs and politics: taking the first step toward a solution -- The chain of evil continues unbroken: the Arctic's new toxic legacies -- Survival of the fittest: walking in the Inuits footsteps. In a journey across the Arctic to find out why it is toxic, an environmental journalist reports on the dangers of pollution to fragile ecosystems; how Arctic cultures are adapting to pollution; and what solutions will prevent this crisis from getting worse.