Arctic orcas highly contaminated

[DoYouEverWonder]

12 December 2005

Killer whales have become the most contaminated mammals in the Arctic, new research indicates.

Norwegian scientists have found that killer whales - or orcas, as they are sometimes known - have overtaken polar bears at the head of the toxic table.

No other arctic mammals have ingested such a high concentration of hazardous man-made chemicals.

The Norwegian Polar Institute tested blubber samples taken from creatures in Tysfjord in the Norwegian Arctic.

The chemicals they found included pesticides, flame retardants and PCBs - which used to be used in many industrial processes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4520104.stm

Then we wonder why so many people are sick and have allergies.

[joeybee12]

1. And we also wonder why some species are declining...

...this is a dirty rotten shame.

[htuttle]

2. Mutant Killer Whales

Does that sound like a good idea to ANYBODY?

[Spinzonner]

7. A Hollywood Producer, perhaps

[MalachiConstant]

3. how do you right an entire ocean's worth of our wrongs?

forget an "ocean's worth" how do we even begin to start righting the wrongs we've made world-wide?




postscript:

i apologize in advance if this is against some rule i'm unaware of, but i'm going to plug my thread. i have started a thread suggesting a new DU group for career advice, and job seekers. if you're interested please check out this thread and reply:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4430590

[Barrett808]

4. "Watching the world fall apart on TV..."

"...may be too much for even the stoutest brains to take."

http://www.subgenius.com

[lovuian]

5. We are just as contaminated!!! So sad to see the oceans turning into the

dumping grounds!!!

[DoYouEverWonder]

6. That was my point in my comment above

We are also at the top of our food chain. I'm sure our samples look just has crappy.

[Lisa]

9. just about ... (link to recent study)

http://www.organicconsumers.org/school/blood111605.cfm

""Chief David Masty lives in Whapmagoostui, in northern Quebec. The study found 51 of 88 chemicals in Masty's blood, including 36 cancer causing chemicals."

The results for the northern aboriginal participants are particularly alarming. Because they depend on food harvested from the wild (such as whale blubber), they often have more exposure to toxins than those of us who live and work in industrial areas further south. Another point to note is the amount of toxins found in Robert Bateman (the artist) who now lives a hippie-type existence on an island off the West Coast. This may be a combination of exposure to heavy metals etc. in his paints, and the fact that he used to live in my polluted town in Southern Ontario. That stuff stays with you ...

[NIGHT TRIPPER]

8. If the food chain goes WE go-PERIOD- no recovery-NO MORE DESCENDANTS

No Grandchildren-no future world-

THIS IS MORE SERIOUS THAN ANY POLITICAL ISSUE-
No food chain no world--and the food chain begins in the ocean.


We will watch the world die from our air conditioned homes on T.V.

We will watch the mass hording of whatever's left.

Like a bad episode of Twilight Zone only it's for real.


Sushi anyone?

[ozymandius]

10. I HATE that name: killer whales

They should be referred to only as orcas. The name "killer whale" is a big reason why they are slaughtered.