Category Archives: Pollution
Elephant seal molt raises mercury levels in coastal water
“Researchers link seasonal fluctuations in toxin with elephant seal fur
“FRISCO — So much mercury has accumulated in the ocean food chain that, when northern California sea lions molt their fur, the toxic substance can traced in the water.
“Mercury is one of those toxins that just keeps building up. It never really goes away, but just changes form. That’s a real problem in the marine environment, because the most toxic variation, methyl mercury, is readily absorbed and accumulates in the bodies of marine organisms.
“In a process known as “biomagnification,” the toxin becomes more and more concentrated as it passes up the food chain. Thus, mercury concentrations in top predators can be 1 million to 10 million times higher than the levels found in seawater.” Sourced through Scoop.it from: summitcountyvoice.com
GR: Mercury is increasing in freshwater and seawater across most of the planet.
Massive Sargassum Seaweed Bloom is Choking The Caribbean — Climate Change a Likely Culprit
“According to Carribean leaders, it’s a disaster that will take at least 100,000 people and 120 million dollars to clean up. And disaster may not be the best word to describe it — for an enormous Caribbean beach and water choking bloom of sargassum algae may be a new abnormal ocean condition. Yet one more dangerous upshot of a warming world.
“Great, sulfur-stinking mats of sargassum algae are now choking the beaches and near-shore waters of the Caribbean. In some places the mats are 10 feet deep. These great piles of seaweed can foul beaches, kill off native species, and result in ocean dead zones when they rob waters of nutrients and then die off — pulling life-giving oxygen out of the water by decomposition. Image source: Mission Blue.” Sourced through Scoop.it from: robertscribbler.com
Dolphin health predicts human health
Dolphins are known to marine biologists as sentinel animals, if they are ailing, we humans may be next. The Indian River Lagoon, an ecologically diverse estuary that covers 40 percent of Florida’s east coast, is ailing. The area is home to a large human population who live near its shores and plays a significant part in the area’s economy. The lagoon’s nitrogen-saturated waters—due to fertilizer run-off and other pollution—is likely promoting the algae blooms that are toxic to marine mammals and birds.
Florida Institute of Technology assistant professor Spencer Fire and researchers from lead agency Georgia Aquarium and other conservation partners recently completed a study to better understand the health of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins in the IRL, and the data collected from the dolphins is expected to help researchers understand how toxic algal blooms can harm wildlife. Sourced through Scoop.it from: phys.org
GR: Another innocent canary in our exploding coal mine.
Environment: Study finds neonicotinoid pesticides widespread in streams across the U.S.
Will fish and water bugs be decimated by systemic pesticides?
FRISCO — Neonicotinoid pesticides are spreading throughout the environment with as-yet unknown effects on human health, according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey.
The agency found the systemic pesticides in more than half the streams sampled across the country and in Puerto Rico during a survey between 2011 and 2014. This study is the first to take a nationwide look at the prevalence of neonicotinoid insecticides in agricultural and urban settings.
The research spanned 24 states and Puerto Rico and was completed as part of ongoing USGS investigations of pesticide and other contaminant levels in streams. Sourced through Scoop.it from: summitcountyvoice.com.
GR: The levels are low, but here’s the thing: They are not alone. Several other classes of chemical wastes are in the water. We know that insects such as dragonflies are responding to something in the water, so it would be prudent to asses the combined impact of neonicotinoids and other chemicals on wildlife.
Toxic threat of cyanobacteria may be growing worldwide
This is a serious threat to wildlife.
Study calls for better monitoring, more warnings
Staff Report
FRISCO — Dammed rivers, global warming and increased agricultural runoff all contribute to the growing threat of toxic cyanobacteria, scientists said after taking a far-reaching look at the issue of blue-green algae blooms in fresh water.
The study, conducted by researchers with Oregon State University and the University of North Carolina, found that the threat is poorly monitored and represents an under-appreciated risk to recreational and drinking water quality in the United States. More testing and monitoring is needed to track potential threats to human health, the scientists concluded.
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Do nanoparticles threaten sediment-dwelling organisms?
The loss of wild animals, more than half, is scary. Anything that might harm them should be studied before it is used.
Carbon nanotube schematic, courtesy the Wikimedia Commons.
Scientists highlight the need for more research
Staff Report
FRISCO — As the use of nanomaterials increases, there’s a need to study how those particles change as they make their way through ecosystems, especially when they pass from water to sediment and then into sediment dwelling organisms.
The study by researchers with the University of Exeter highlight the risk that engineered nanoparticles released from masonry paint on exterior facades, and consumer products such as zinc oxide cream, could have on aquatic creatures.
Textiles, paint, sunscreen, cosmetics and food additives are all increasingly containing metal-based nanoparticles that are engineered, rather than found naturally.
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Navajo Nation President Begaye demands immediate explanation of EPA accident.
The EPA actually has no concern for the environment, they just happen to use the environment as a cover story to create laws and gain an advantage for the companies that lobbied for exemptions to the agency’s regulations, and to collect money in fines. There are solutions outside the common government paradigm, and that is mainly the ability for individuals, not governments, to hold polluters personally and financially accountable. . . Sourced through Scoop.it from: colouredjustice.wordpress.com
GR: Initial reports suggest that EPA acted like any other polluter attempting to gloss over a catastrophic spill. Have to follow this story a bit farther.
Mercury Contamination of Arizona Fish
#Mercury #Contamination of #Fish in Bartlett Lake, Arizona
Largemouth Bass
Channel Catfish
Here is another threat to Arizona wildlife. Because it threatens humans, the state government is acknowledging it publicly. According to an email sent this morning by the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD), “the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), in association with the AZGFD, has issued a fish consumption advisory recommending that people limit consumption of channel catfish and largemouth bass caught from Bartlett Lake [an artificial reservoir on the Verde River] in Maricopa County. ADEQ is issuing this advisory because recent fish tissue samples from Bartlett Lake contained elevated levels of mercury.”
“ADEQ recommends that adults limit consumption of channel catfish and largemouth bass to 2.4 ounces (uncooked weight) per week and children 12 years of age and under limit consumption to two ounces per month (uncooked weight).
This advisory does not limit the use of this water body for fishing, bird watching, swimming, or other recreational uses. In general, the level of contaminants in fish is several folds higher than levels found in water.”
“Any health risks associated with eating fish from this advisory area are based on long term consumption and are not representative of risk from eating fish occasionally. Fish are an excellent source of protein and can be an important part of a healthy, diverse diet as they are low in saturated fat and high in omega-3 fatty acids. The American Heart Association recommends that individuals eat at least two fish or seafood meals weekly.”
GR: Unfortunately, wildlife eat these mercury-contaminated fish their whole lives. Unlike humans, they can’t “limit their consumption.” Mercury pollution is nothing new in Bartlett Lake or many other streams and lakes in Arizona. It and the many other pollutants that wash into the State’s waters are helping destroy Arizona wildlife. The Bass and Catfish covered in the advisory are not native Arizona species, but they are often eaten by native amphibians, birds, fish, mammals, snakes, and turtles that live in around the lake. Thus, mercury works its way into the food chain and causes illness and shortened lives. Bald Eagles, for example have mercury in their eggs and tissues (Driscoll et al. 2006). According to Robin Silver, Southwest Center for Biological Diversity, this mercury contamination is “worrisome.” You could also call it “harmful” or “deadly.”What is the Origin of Mercury?
Mercury washes into streams and lakes after exposure by floods, mining, and construction. Some probably comes from roads and urban wastes around and upstream from the lake. And some comes from power plants in and around Arizona: “Mercury is one of the most harmful pollutants faced by fish and wildlife. Toxic mercury is released from coal burning power plants across the country and accumulates in rivers, lakes, and forests.” — National Wildlife Federation.
Mercury is just one of many pollutants that humans feed into the Verde River and Bartlett Lake. Worldwide, human wastes are a major cause of wildlife disease and decline. ADEQ makes little or no effort to regulate the sources of pollutants, but as wildlife declines and extinctions become public knowledge, the agency may have to step up and face the developers and . . . . Well, that’s not going to happen. Not until private citizens force their political representatives to ignore their donors and future employers and direct the agency to say “enough is enough” without fear of retribution.
References
- Driscoll, et al. 2006. Conservation assessment and strategy for the Bald Eagle in Arizona. Tech Rept 173, Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program, AZGFD, Phoenix, AZ, 69 p.
- ADEQ. 2015. Arizona Fish Consumption Advisories – July 2015. Lists 15 waterbodies of concern.
GarryRogers Nature Conservation 