Mid Day Daily

Thursday, January 21, 2021
Log in
  • Home
  • National & International
  • Business & Financials
  • Technology
  • Health
  • Science
  • About Us
    • Our Staff
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy GDPR
    • Terms of Use
  • Latest News
    • Sloths Were Declared the Slowest Animals on Earth
    • Facebook’s Messenger Will Give You the 411 on Non-Friends
    • Fun Facts About the Coconut Crab
    • The Coyote Hunting in Wisconsin might be Banned
    • Autism Was Genetically Introduced In Monkeys
    • Tully Monster Has Many More Mysteries Left To Offer
    • Mom Claims Daughter Was Forced To Get Naked To Pass Exam In School
    • What Happens When Two Planets Collide?
    • FDA Approves the BrainPort Vision Device That Gives Hope To The Blind
    • Two Cretaceous Plankton-Eating Fish Species Were Discovered
    • Columbia University Researchers Store Computer Information on DNA Strand

Pages

  • About Midday Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Our Staff
  • Privacy Policy GDPR
  • Terms of Use

Recent Posts

  • Indiana Jones 5 Won’t Open in 2020 After All June 29, 2018
  • ‘Oumuamua is Actually a Comet, Not an Asteroid (Study) June 28, 2018
  • Best Evidence of Alien Life on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus, Found (Study) June 28, 2018
  • Jeremy Irons to Star in HBO’s Watchmen Reboot June 27, 2018
  • The Fermi Paradox: We Might Be Alone in the Universe (Study) June 26, 2018
  • The Strawberry Moon and Who It Will Affect June 26, 2018
  • Tom Holland Reveals Spider-Man: Homecoming Sequel Title June 25, 2018
You are here: Home / Science / Orca Whales and Other European Cetaceans are at Risk of Extinction

Orca Whales and Other European Cetaceans are at Risk of Extinction

January 15, 2016 By Dean Lamori Leave a Comment

Email, RSS Follow
orca whales

Orca whales and other European cetaceans are at risk of extinction due to now banned toxic substances still ending up in the water streams and then the seabed.

Orca whales and other European cetaceans are at risk of extinction due to now banned toxic substances still ending up in the water streams and then the seabed.

The substances referred to in the Zoological Society of London, Institute of Zoology study are known as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs). The study collected samples from a large swath of cetaceans common to the European coastal waters.

Over 1,000 orca whales, porpoises and dolphins have been sampled in the large-scale study. Polychlorinated biphenyl substances have been traced in all the cetaceans which were found stranded. Bottlenose dolphins, the striped-nose dolphins and orca whales presented high levels of PCBs in their body.  

The toxic chemicals are a health hazard animals and the environment as well. High levels of polychlorinated biphenyl attack the immune system. Orca whales and other European cetaceans are at risk of extinction as a faulty immune system leads to reproductive problems. Breeding levels decrease while newborn calf mortality increases. A combination of these two trends could well lead to extinction. The case in point best illustrating the devastating effects of PCBs is that of European orca whales.

Polychlorinated biphenyl substances are organic compounds which during the 1980s were quite the fashion. Used in industrial materials such construction materials, paints or plastic materials, they were banned and with good reason. The health hazard posed by PCBs has long been studied. The toxic chemicals affect us and wildlife equally. Although they are no longer in use, their effects still linger as materials or waste from the 1980s are degrading and ending up in the wastefill.

Left to degrade in unsealed landfills, PCBs wash into water streams and infiltrate the seabed. From here, there is just one step until the toxic chemicals end up in the food chain of cetacean predators. Orca whales, once a populous species hunting for food along the European coastline are now facing alarming drops in population numbers. Dolphins fare better, yet the situation isn’t more encouraging either.

According to lead author Paul Jepson with the Zoological Society London Institute of Zoology, the situation is in fact bleak. Orca whales in industrialized regions in Europe are in danger. Both orca whales and bottlenose dolphins are apex predators. Typically, they also enjoy a long lifespan. However, the accumulation of PCBs in the food chain is dimming the perspectives of the species.

Despite the ban on the use of polychlorinated biphenyl substances and the scalable results in decreased contamination of the environment, these toxic substances are reaching European cetaceans through the food chain.

The study, published in the journal Nature offers possible solutions to tackle European coastal waters contamination with the toxic substances. Among them the research team urges European governments to enact stronger restrictions on the disposal and storage of materials containing PCBs.

Photo Credits: Wikimedia

Email, RSS Follow

Filed Under: Science Tagged With: bottlenose dolphins, European cetaceans, orca whales, Orca Whales and Other European Cetaceans are at Risk of Extinction, polychlorinated biphenyl

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 10 other subscribers

Recent Articles

USPS van

Chinese Drug Dealers Shipping Drugs to U.S. via Postal Service

January 28, 2018 By Dean Lamori

Marlboro cigarette packs

Philip Morris Wants to Help You Quit Smoking

January 6, 2018 By Dean Lamori

Drugs and money

Drug Company Sued for Bribing Doctors to Prescribe Potent Opioid

December 24, 2017 By Dean Lamori

Smartphone user sitting on sidewalk

Calif. Health Dept: Excess Smartphone Use Can Cause Brain Cancer

December 17, 2017 By Dean Lamori

jared kushner

Kushner Plans to Revamp 666 Fifth Avenue Skyscraper, Partner Isn’t Supportive

November 2, 2017 By Tom Hager

elon musk

Elon Musk Shares Progress He Made with Boring Company on Twitter

October 30, 2017 By John Cooper

starbucks mugs

Starbucks Takes Halloween Seriously with New Zombie Frappuccino

October 28, 2017 By Kurt Cottrell

ecigarette

New York to Treat eCigarettes Same Way as Regular Cigarettes in Public Indoor Areas

October 26, 2017 By Tom Hager

amazon box

Amazon Warehouse Delivered Couple’s Requested Storage Containers with 65 Pounds of Weed

October 25, 2017 By Kurt Cottrell

ibm offices

IBM’s Q3 Report Encourages Greater Sales Expectations for the First Time in Years

October 19, 2017 By Kurt Cottrell

dubai police supercars

Dubai Police to Patrol the City from Above Thanks to Multirotor Hoverbikes

October 16, 2017 By John Cooper

marketing stunt for rick and morty

Woman Received Volkswagen Car for One Legendary Szechuan Sauce Pack from McDonald’s

October 14, 2017 By Amanda Lane

honeywell center

Honeywell to Turn Two Units into Publicly Traded Companies by 2019

October 12, 2017 By Tom Hager

self-driving car

New AI Project Will Help Autonomous Cars See What’s Around Corners

October 11, 2017 By Sam Doliente

Related Articles

  • ‘Oumuamua in space

    ‘Oumuamua is Actually a Comet, Not an Asteroid (Study)

    Jun 28, 2018
  • View of Enceladus

    Best Evidence of Alien Life on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus, Found (Study)

    Jun 28, 2018
  • person alone on the street

    The Fermi Paradox: We Might Be Alone in the Universe (Study)

    Jun 26, 2018
  • strawberry moon

    The Strawberry Moon and Who It Will Affect

    Jun 26, 2018
  • dolphins in water

    Dolphins and Whales Grieve Their Dead (Study)

    Jun 21, 2018
  • dinosaur in nature, in 3D

    Most Dinosaurs Couldn’t Stick Out their Tongue (Study)

    Jun 21, 2018
  • rock formation

    Mysterious Mars Rock Formation Finally Explained (Study)

    Jun 20, 2018
  • planet Venus

    The Reason Why Venus Spins So Weirdly (Study)

    Jun 19, 2018
  • portrait of Albert Einstein

    Albert Einstein’s Travel Diaries Reveal His Racist Views

    Jun 14, 2018
  • Easter Island giant statues

    The Clever Way Easter Island Statues Got Their Hats (Study)

    Jun 13, 2018

Categories

  • Business & Financials
  • Entertainment
  • Health
  • National & International
  • Nature
  • Science
  • Technology
  • U.S.
  • World

Copyright © 2021 MidDayDaily.com

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Use · Contact

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more.