Finding cold-adapted bacteria to combat organic pollutants in the Arctic

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are long-lived persistent organic pollutants whose widespread use and chemical stability has led to extensive environmental contamination, even in remote areas such as the Arctic, through accidental releases and inappropriate disposal techniques. Despite their persistent nature, PCBs can be transformed, even at low temperature, into chemical substances by different microbial metabolic pathways, both in the presence or absence of oxygen, facilitating further breakdown.