Killer whales have highest man-made toxin levels in Arctic, study says

[Thom Little]

Killer whales have the highest concentration of man-made toxins of all Arctic mammals tested in Europe because of the oceangoing predators' taste for fatty fish, according to a study released Monday.

Man-made toxins, such as PCBs, build up in animal fat and become more concentrated in moving up the food chain. Most toxins, often from household products, are carried to Arctic waters by ocean currents, winds, or in migratory fish and animals.

"Killer whales can be regarded as indicators of the health of our marine environment," said Hans Wolkers, a researcher at the Norwegian Polar Institute in the Arctic city of Tromsoe, which carried out the study.

The high levels of contaminants "show that the Arctic seas are not as clean as they should be, which, in particular, affects animals at the top of the food chain," he added in a statement.


http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NORWAY_WHALE_TOXINS_WAOL-?SITE=VARIT&SECTION=US&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2005-12-12-20-32-43

[HysteryDiagnosis]

1. There is no health in our marine environment... not any more, why

do you think beachings have become so prevalent?

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=16169043&query_hl=4
An assessment of the risks associated with polychlorinated biphenyls found in the stomach contents of stranded Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins (Sousa chinensis) and Finless Porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) from Hong Kong waters.

1: Environ Sci Technol. 2005 Oct 1;39(19):7568-75. Related Articles, Links


Immunological impact of metals in harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) of the North Sea.

Kakuschke A, Valentine-Thon E, Griesel S, Fonfara S, Siebert U, Prange A.

Institute for Coastal Research, GKSS Research Centre, Max-Planck-Strasse 1, 21502 Geesthacht, Germany. [e-mail]

Environmental pollutants may affect the immune system of marine mammals in many areas of the industrialized world. This study provides the first evidence for metal-induced hypersensitivity in harbor seals and demonstrates a relationship between this immunopathy and the level of metals in blood. The concentrations of 20 essential and nonessential elements were analyzed in the blood of 13 harbor seals from the North Sea. In addition, their T-lymphocyte response to metals in terms of hypersensitivity was investigated using a lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) according to the MELISA (memory lymphocyte immuno-stimulation assay) modification. The results showed metal hypersensitivities in 7 of 11 seals investigated in MELISA (data from two seals could not be assessed), reflecting a positive or possible positive reaction in 13 of 154 total single tests. Four animals responded to one metal and three animals to multiple metals. The sensitizing metals were molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), lead (Pb), and tin (Sn). Furthermore, the seals with a Ni-, Al-,.and Cr-sensibilization showed the highest concentrations of these metals in blood. In 8 of the 13 positive cases, elevated blood metal concentrations correlated with the hypersensitivity reaction. Summarizing, we demonstrate in this first pilot study the potential immunological impact of metals in seals, a topic rarely investigated previously. Our results show the value of a combined biological and effect-monitoring tool to investigate pollution-induced immunopathies in live animals.

PMID: 16245829

[Spinzonner]

2. No need to blubber about it

Yes, I am ashamed but I'm a slave to temptation

:hide:

[philb]

3. not surprising; they are at the top of the food chain

whale and other sea mammals levels of mercury are extremely high- affecting reproduction
and health of the whole population. There is a world wide mercury pollution crisis
developing due to increasing worldwide spread of mercury from coal plant emissions.