Dolphins near Miami have high toxin loads
The Miami dolphins need your help. No, not Bill Parcels and the boys, but the real Miami dolphins. Miami’s iconic wild dolphins, especially those who live near downtown Miami, are chock full of toxins, according to a new government study. Scientists say they are so full of chemicals that they worry about their long-term survival, and also what the polluted water of Biscayne Bay may do to humans. Even the man of the sea himself, Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the famous Jacques Cousteau, is doing a PBS special on the potential disastrous fate of the dolphins. A toxic chemical called flame retardant, which is used on everything from curtains to computer cables, was found in very high levels in dolphin blubber, according to scientists who inspected dolphins in the area. The closer the dolphins were found near downtown, the higher the toxin levels.The toxins could render the dolphins sterile or worse, scientists say. … Scientists also found two banned pesticides in dolphin blubber. DDT and PCB were both banned many years ago but remains persistent, indicating how difficult it will be to get rid of. …
Toxic dolphins worry environmentalists