Dolphins consuming highly toxic chemicals

European dolphins are consuming highly toxic chemicals banned in the 1970s and 1980s – and are passing the pollutant to their young, according to new research by a Scottish university.

Dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea contain high levels of PCBS – toxic chemicals outlawed decades ago because of possible risks to humans and the environment.

Researchers at the University of St Andrews, evaluated PCB in bottlenose dolphins living in the Gulf of Trieste in the Mediterranean’s northern Adriatic Sea – one of the most human-impacted areas in the entire Mediterranean.

PCBS have been used as an insulating material in electrical equipment, such as transformers, and also in heat transfer fluids and lubricants. The study found 87.5 per cent of dolphins had PCB concentrations above the toxicity threshold for the onset of physiological effects in marine mammals.

The research, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, says such high contaminant levels are of concern. Dr Paul Jepson, author of the study, said: “PCBS have the ability to cause diseases like cancer and can also suppress reproduction.”