Banned toxins passed from mother to young in European dolphins

Dolphins in the northern Adriatic contain high levels of PCBs – highly toxic chemicals banned in the 1970s and 1980s – and are passing the pollutant to their young, according to new research led by a marine scientist at the University of St Andrews.

An international team of researchers evaluated PCB and other organochlorine contaminants in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) living in the Gulf of Trieste (northern Adriatic Sea), the northernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea and one of the most human-impacted areas in the Mediterranean.

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* Plight of the Ocean Sentinels - the major environmental threats facing whales, dolphins and porpoises ht.ly/DEJJ30mWvbk
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They found that, overall, 87.5 per cent of dolphins had PCB concentrations above the toxicity threshold for the onset of physiological effects in marine mammals, while 65.6 per cent had concentrations above the highest threshold published for marine mammals ...

Source: phys.org/news/2018-12-toxins-mother-young-european-dolphins.html

#dolphins #pollution #toxic #PCBs #Mediterranean University of St Andrews ... See MoreSee Less

13 hours ago  ·  

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Turkey: Authorities seize $2.2 million worth of rhino horns from Mozambique en route to Vietnam

Turkish security forces seized 34kg of rhino horns found in an anti-smuggling operation at the Atatürk Airport, officials said on Saturday.

The horns were found in luggage belonging to a Vietnamese passenger traveling from Mozambique to Ho Chi Minh airport in Vietnam.

... the Vietnamese passenger's past travels triggered red flags in Intelligence Information System which prompted security forces to detain the passenger upon landing.

Source: www.dailysabah.com/turkey/2018/12/09/turkish-authorities-seize-22-million-worth-of-rhino-horns-at...

#rhino #Turkey #Mozambique #Vietnam #illegalwildlifetrade ... See MoreSee Less

19 hours ago  ·  

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US, Russia, Kuwait and Saudis block key climate study at CoP24 in Poland

A diplomatic standoff over a key scientific study could set the stage for a bigger showdown during the second half of this year's UN climate summit.

Negotiators at CoP24 took time out Sunday to rest after the first week of talks ended on a sour note the previous night, when the United States sided with Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in blocking endorsement of a landmark study on global warming.

"I think it was a key moment," said Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists. "The fact that a group of four countries were trying to diminish the value and importance of a scientific report they themselves, with all other countries, requested three years ago in Paris is pretty remarkable."

Source: www.cbc.ca/news/technology/un-climate-welcome-study-report-objections-cop24-1.4938765

#climate #USA #Russia #Kuwait #SaudiArabia #oil ... See MoreSee Less

2 days ago  ·  

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