Decades of chemical pollution suspected in Maine's seal die-off

[jpak]

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/08/19/researchers-pointing-to-toxin-link-in-seal-die-off/

As the number of dead and stranded seals washing up on southern Maine beaches rises by the day, researchers are linking the sudden die-off to decades of chemical pollution that made the seal population vulnerable to toxins and disease.

“We don’t think there is any possibility that these animals are biologically healthy,” said Susan Shaw, a marine biologist based in Blue Hill.

Shaw has studied the effect of man-made toxins such as polychlorinated biphenyl – PCB – on the long-term health of harbor seals for almost two decades. Her findings, based on flesh samples, show that the population of harbor seals in the Gulf of Maine is loaded down with toxic, immune-suppressing chemicals, conclusions that are in line with a thick body of scientific evidence from studies of whales, dolphins, porpoises and other marine animals in the U.S., Canada and Europe. “They have body burdens that are just staggering,” Shaw said.

“We find this in young animals. They are immune-suppressed from birth,” she added. “When some pathogen comes along like this, they are very susceptible to becoming very sick and dying very quickly.”

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[saidsimplesimon]

1. Soon, humans will

join this race to extinction. Thank you jpak for the reminder.

[KT2000]

2. fat soluble toxic chemicals

provide a steady dose of the toxins. While these precious animals wash up on shore, we build more and more cathedrals to cancer treatment. We are in the same boat as the whales, seals, birds, deer, etc.

[CentralMass]

3. +1

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Yep.

I can no longer watch Planet Earth type documentaries, because all I see is the end of everything beautiful in the films, my heart breaks anew.

I saw Soylent Green in 1973 when it came out, that was a time of developing environmental awareness. Earth Day, etc.
The now famous death scene burned itself into my mind, and I remember thinking that is how bad it can get if we don't make a change.

I have been reminded of it more and more, esp. after Fukishima, which ALONE is such a critically dangerous disaster.

Now I have become quite comfortable with George Carlin's remarks about "saving the Planet".
" Mother Nature is gonna shake us off like a bad case of fleas".