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Persistant Man-Made Chemical Pollutants Found In Deep-Sea Species

  2. JanforGore
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New evidence that chemical contaminants are finding their way into the deep-sea food web has been found in deep-sea squids and octopods, including the strange-looking "vampire squid". These species are food for deep-diving toothed whales and other predators. In a study to be published in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, Michael Vecchione of NOAA Fisheries' National Systematics Laboratory and colleagues Michael Unger, Ellen Harvey and George Vadas at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science of The College of William and Mary report finding a variety of chemical contaminants in nine species of cephalopods, a class of organisms that includes octopods, squids, cuttlefishes and nautiluses.

"It was surprising to find measurable and sometimes high amounts of toxic pollutants in such a deep and remote environment," Vecchione said. Among the chemicals detected were tributyltin (TBT), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs), and dichlorodiphenyl-trichloroethane (DDT).

They are known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) because they don't degrade and persist in the environment for a very long time.

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Other chemical contaminants found in the specimens include polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), found in all the samples, diphenyl ether (DPE), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and brominated diphenyl ethers (BDEs). The researchers also detected DDT, a pesticide banned in the U.S. in the 1970s but still used on a limited basis in some parts of the world to control diseases like malaria.

The fact that we detected a variety of pollutants in specimens collected from more than 3,000 feet deep is evidence that human-produced chemicals are reaching remote areas of the open ocean, accumulating in prey species, and therefore available to higher levels of marine life. Contamination of the deep-sea food web is happening, and it is a real concern."
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We humans are poisoning the very environment that sustains us. And that is not 'natural.'
JanforGore

4 responses // Persistant Man-Made Chemical Pollutants Found In Deep-Sea Species

  • We're about a century late, but I think we're at least steering ourselves in the right direction. We've got to start somewhere, even if it's with a solar panel on your rooftop or fuel efficient car. We've all gotta do our parts.
    Neghie
  • "It was surprising to find measurable and sometimes high amounts of toxic pollutants in such a deep and remote environment," Vecchione said.

    Why is that surprising? Do they think these chemicals magically disappear at certain depths? These chemicals are everywhere in the food chain.
    jefftego
  • BTW, Killer Whales are the most PCB contimated species on the planet. It is casuing lots of health problems and literally threatening the survival of the species.
    jefftego
  • I already thought that the damage extended that far. I couldn't imagine the waste over our centuries of advanced existence wouldn't be touching so deep. It's quite the difference between thinking and knowing, though.
    Sara_Airey

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