'Extraordinary' levels of toxic pollution found in 10km deep Mariana trench

[malaise]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/13/extraordinary-levels-of-toxic-pollution-found-in-10km-deep-mariana-trench
<snip>
Scientists have discovered “extraordinary” levels of toxic pollution in the most remote and inaccessible place on the planet – the 10km deep Mariana trench in the Pacific Ocean.

Small crustaceans that live in the pitch-black waters of the trench, captured by a robotic submarine, were contaminated with 50 times more toxic chemicals than crabs that survive in heavily polluted rivers in China.

“We still think of the deep ocean as being this remote and pristine realm, safe from human impact, but our research shows that, sadly, this could not be further from the truth,” said Alan Jamieson of Newcastle University in the UK, who led the research.

“The fact that we found such extraordinary levels of these pollutants really brings home the long-term, devastating impact that mankind is having on the planet,” he said.

Jamieson’s team identified two key types of severely toxic industrial chemicals that were banned in the late 1970s, but do not break down in the environment, known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These chemicals have previously been found at high levels in Inuit people in the Canadian Arctic and in killer whales and dolphins in western Europe.

[Lucinda]

1. KNR

[Native]

2. my heart is breaking

[voteearlyvoteoften]

3. Oh no

That is bad news indeed.

[cilla4progress]

4. We've shat in our home for too long now and

Destroyed it.

[lostnfound]

5. It's probably the purpose of the Marianas trench...

After the humans were created, God said "crap! They are going to create all this sludge and ruin everything in the sea!" "Wait! I'm gonna carve a giant ditch for all the poison to get trapped in. At least the rest of the sea creatures will live a little longer."

No offense to the nonbelievers. It's just a little joke.

[NutmegYankee]

6. Is it possible there was intentional dumping over the trench?

Maybe there are piles of waste down there.

[malaise]

8. Don't know

Jamieson’s team identified two key types of severely toxic industrial chemicals that were banned in the late 1970s, but do not break down in the environment, known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These chemicals have previously been found at high levels in Inuit people in the Canadian Arctic and in killer whales and dolphins in western Europe.

From the article

It would be frightening if they dumped those industrial chemicals there, but they seem to be in other places as well.

[roamer65]

13. It's where we dumped leftover nuclear equipment from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.

[spanone]

7. K&R...

with shame and sadness....

[Wounded Bear]

9. We like to think that shit floats...

but the heavy shit sinks.

[malaise]

10. We are our own worst enemy

Last edited Mon Feb 13, 2017, 09:22 PM - Edit history (1)

[lpbk2713]

11. Some megacorp paid the lowest bidder to dispose of their industrial waste.

And they were careful to not ask any questions about what they did with it.

[MineralMan]

12. Stuff flows downhill.

A plumber told me that, but he used a different word that rhymes with it.

[Initech]

14. This is why we can't have nice things.