Waste Dumping in European Oceans Destroying Dolphin Fertility

Industrial chemical waste disposed in oceans has begun to affect the fertility of dolphins, a new study has pointed out.

Dolphins are struggling to reproduce because pollutants can be passed from mothers to their calfs when they are suckling. This later ends up affecting generations of dolphins.

The study focused on the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) which is common component of many industrial machines and is also found in paints until it was finally banned 3 decades back.

So the researchers were surprised when they saw moderately high levels of PCB's in the fat tissues of harbour porpoises.

The scientists go on to point out that in the porpoises found around the UK harbor, 20 percent of the females had shown evidence of fetal death, still birth and recent miscarriage.

A further 16.5 percent had infections or tumors of reproductive organs that could have contributed to breeding failure," said the study.

The team then compared these numbers in oceanic waters where there were lower levels of PCB pollutants. Scientists found that the porpoises along the UK harbor had lower pregnancy rates as well.

"UK harbour porpoises are part of a larger northeast Atlantic population and our research suggests a population-level risk from PCB exposure," said lead researcher Sinead Murphy.