Toxic waste creates hermaphrodite Arctic polar bears

[Clara T]

Toxic waste creates hermaphrodite Arctic polar bears
By David Usborne in New York
Published: 10 January 2006

Wildlife researchers have found new evidence that Arctic polar bears, already gravely threatened by the melting of their habitat because of global warming, are being poisoned by chemical compounds commonly used in Europe and North America to reduce the flammability of household furnishings like sofas, clothing and carpets.

A team of scientists from Canada, Alaska, Denmark and Norway is sounding the alarm about the flame retardants, known as polybrominated diphenyls, or PBDEs, saying that significant deposits have recently been found in the fatty tissues of polar bears, especially in eastern Greenland and Norway's Svalbard islands.
Studies are still being carried out on what impact the chemicals might be having on the bears, but tests on laboratory animals such as mice indicate that their effects can be considerable, attacking the sex and thyroid glands, motor skills and brain function.

There is also evidence that compounds similar to the PBDEs have contributed to a surprisingly high rate of hermaphroditism in polar bears. About one in 50 female bears on Svalbard has both male and female sex organs, a phenomenon scientists link directly to the effects of pollution.

"The Arctic is now a chemical sink," declared Colin Butfield, a campaign leader for the Worldwide Fund for Nature, which last month indicated that killer whales in the Arctic were also suffering from elevated levels of contamination with fire retardants as well as other man-made compounds. "Chemicals from products that we use in our homes every day are contaminating Arctic wildlife."

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article337581.ece

[Ian David]

1. Obviously, the polar bears have been watching Brokeback Mountain

and have chosen an alternative lifestyle.

Bears are soulless eating machines and they want our honey.

And our picnic baskets.

And they now want to recruit our children.

Only Troy Hurtubise can save us now.

:sarcasm:

[Midnight Rambler]

3. Paging Sen. Santorum...

n/t

[LisaL]

19. Aren't you confusing hermaphrodites with gays?

[Ian David]

28. To the right-wing, there is no difference.

Anything that needs to be explained using the word "penis" is gay.

[Little Star]

23. They our picnic baskets>>>>>>>

Now, That was FUNNY!

[lovuian]

2. The poisoning of the artic is such a disaster...

I wonder who the poisoner is???

[Tesha]

22. Us. (NT)

[roguevalley]

27. if its radiation and such, the Russians. Their arctic is enormously

poisoned and radioactive.

[Lorien]

4. If that crap is doing this to Polar bears, do we really want to be living

with it ourselves?

Poisoning other species like this is just plain immoral, but to take the socially accepted, "humans come first", self centered position; what's bad for one mammal is usually bad for the rest. We ARE living in a toxic soup that we've created. Humanity has survived for millennia WITHOUT flame retardants (and the heavy use of candles/ oil lamps in the home), we can do so again. Studies have also shown that fields that grow organic crops can yield as much as fields that produce GM crops that are doused with Roundup regularly. The chemical manufactures are subsidized like mad in this country, and there's no doubt in my mind that there are loads of chemicals out there that are being put to use without being at all necessary. The long term effects....? :scared:

[mom cat]

5. Even enlightened self-interest does not work anymore....only

rampant greed.

[complain jane]

10. I'm with you

Poisoning & deforming another creature let alone an entire species because of selfish overindulgence and greed is just about as sick and disgusting as it gets

I'm not a member of any organized religion. But I feel like what we're doing to this planet and the helpless creatures on it who are trapped here with us and have no choice but to suffer the consequences of our mindless ways of living is doing far greater damage spiritually than we can ever understand.

[MADem]

dupe due to shitty mouse

[MADem]

6. That stinks all round. But it does bring new meaning to the term

FUCK ME!!!!!

[Ayesha]

7. Awful

How does one find furnishings made without these chemicals?

[KT2000]

11. Lots of research

but there are some organic furnishings companies.
It is in the fabrics and fillings of upholstered furniture. I got an organic futon mattress and covered it with fabric - not regular upholstery fabric.

I am next going to recover a chair by taking out the stuffing and replacing it with untreated cotton.

Anyway - this stuff (PBDEs) is everywhere and it persists.

[Straight Shooter]

8. 1 in 50 female polar bears? Isn't that a rather alarmingly high number?

When I bought furniture a few years ago, they asked me if I wanted it treated with the dirt repellant they apply to furniture. So I requested to look at the container. It was a bucket of who knows what, but I recognized a couple of the chemicals as being toxic to animals.

So people put this crap in their homes which is toxic to animals and they think it won't affect them? Maybe that's what there are so many right-wing nutjobs. The pollution is affecting the development of the brain in utero. Scary thought.

[LisaL]

21. Very high.

[MetaTrope]

9. I foresee another novel coming from Scooter Libby...

:puke:

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

12. Pickles can get George to MILK the Polar Bears like he did the male horse

good pr move milking a hermaphrodite polar bear--
Pickles could come off like a regular stand up comedian at the next W roast---
----->except the next roast will be " nook yoo ler "
:nuke:

[NVMojo]

13. this is a tragedy ...

[rodeodance]

14. yes, and i feel so helpless most of the time.

[sofa king]

15. Yeah, but soon that "chemical sink" is going to drain....

When that global warming that isn't happening melts the ice all those bad chemicals will just go straight into the ocean, and what could possibly happen there? And the polar bears will learn to get a K Street Project lobbyist or go extinct. Guys like Rick Santorum publicly frown on that interspecies she-male thing, but I hear that behind closed doors the Republicans can get pretty kinky.

[juliana24]

16. How much worse can it get, until people wake up ?

[Ian David]

29. Soylent Green is Republicans! It's made from Republicans! n/t

[Ian David]

30. Soylent Green is Republicans! It's made from Republicans! n/t

[noamnety]

17. This will be the ultimate irony

The same crowd that loves mindlessly chanting one man one woman will ultimately be the same crowd responsible for destroying the entire concept.

[BamaBecky]

18. If it' up there, it's bound to be everywhere.....

[LisaL]

20. And if it does that to bears, it probably will do the same thing to

humans.

[TheBaldyMan]

24. That explains my third penis n/t

[crowcalling]

25. This is so very very sad

And toxicity IS affecting people - toxic hearts, toxic brains.

[Lisa]

26. Imposex Outside of the City!

A guy at my school has been studying it in marine invertebrates (snails in West Coast harbors). He said it was only a matter of time before mammals were affected by persistent organic pollutants (in the case of the snails, it was a different contaminant, with some similar properties). We've known about the buildup of these pollutants in the Arctic for awhile -- even in areas which are quite remote from industries and settlements.

"Ellis said the phenomenon called imposex has affected almost all species of carnivorous snails. In some species not only do the females grow a penis, but the ovaries turn into testicles. In others, females that retain their ovaries are prevented from releasing eggs by the growth of a penis."

http://www.ivf.com/snail.html