What’s black and white and… full of toxic sludge?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Imagine the ocean was your home until… it became a murky wasteland. Well, prepare to cry: killer whales off British Columbia are in DEEP trouble.
Kiah Lee and team from the University of British Columbia study the nasty chemicals from oil spills, ship exhaust, and industrial waste. They’re called PAH’s – polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
The team tested orca muscle and liver samples. And…yikes! They found PAH’s in not one, but TWO whale populations. Even baby whales weren’t safe! Poisons are being passed from mother to calf BEFORE they’re born. That’s a toxic family tradition!
Remember: what we dump in the ocean doesn’t just vanish — it swims with fishes.
Reference: Lee, K., Raverty, S., Cottrell, P., Zoveidadianpour, Z., Cottrell, B., Price, D., & Alava, J. J. (2023). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) source identification and a maternal transfer case study in threatened killer whales (Orcinus orca) of British Columbia, Canada. Scientific reports, 13(1), 22580. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-45306-w