In the Gulf of Mexico, more and more dolphins are apparently dying for no reason. But the cause of the increase in deaths is soon said: the oil spill generated in 2010 by the Deepwater Horizon oil rig
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
In Gulf of Mexico an increasing number of Dolphins apparently dies for no reason. But the cause ofincrease in deaths it is easy to say: the oil slick generated in 2010 by the oil platform Deepwater Horizon.
This was revealed by a new study, according to which the environmental disaster, years later, continues to make its effects felt on marine fauna and to claim innocent victims.
If the association of the two-headed shark found in Florida with the BP disaster was only speculated, the death of the dolphins would be directly linked to the oil spill.
Scientists, led by Dr Stephanie Venn-Watson of the National Marine Mammal Foundation (NMMF), found that dolphins in the northern Gulf of Mexico died from various injuries "consistent with exposure to petroleum products. ".
Since the beginning of 2010, an unusual event has occurred, an increase in dolphin mortality especially in the northern part of the Gulf of Mexico. This death coincides with the largest marine oil spill in the United States. The causes of death are mainly: chronic adrenal insufficiency, increased susceptibility to adrenal crises and primary bacterial pneumonia, probably due to inhalation and aspiration of products related to the oil spill, and also impaired immune defenses.
The results were obtained by comparing the data recorded on live dolphins in Varataria Bay, Louisiana during 2011 by the Executive Director of the NMMF, Dr. Cynthia Smith, who proved that dolphins already showed up then poor health, adrenal and lung diseases.
According to the researchers, the timing, location and nature of injuries found in the poor dolphins are closely linked to contaminants generated by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, contributing to the area's high numbers of dolphin deaths.
Barataria Bay was one of the coastal areas most heavily involved in the oil spill, and the new study shows that half of the dolphins who died here between June 2010 and November 2012 had adrenal insufficiency. One in three dolphins in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama had this injury. By comparison, only 7 percent of the healthy dolphins used as a reference had the same problem.
Untreated animals with adrenal insufficiency today risk their lives. The adrenal gland produces hormones that regulate metabolism, blood pressure, and other bodily functions. The risk of death increases when animals are faced with pregnancy, low temperatures and infections.
“Animals with adrenal insufficiency are less able to cope with additional stressors in their daily life. When these occur they are more likely to die ", he said Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson. Nearly one in two dolphins with this usually rare adrenal injury appeared to have died without a clear explanation. But the cause was quickly identified.
In addition to adrenal lesions, the team found that one in five deaths was directly or indirectly caused by bacterial pneumonia.
"These dolphins had some of the most severe lung injuries I have seen in the more than 13 years of examining tissue from dead dolphins across the United States," said Dr. Kathleen Colegrove, who took part in the study. By comparison, only 2 percent of the reference dolphins had this lesion.
The news comes in the aftermath of another oil-related disaster. This time it's the waters of the California to have experienced a new oil spill. Due to a failure in the pipeline managed by Plains All American Pipelins, it is feared that 400.000 liters of oil may have ended up in the Pacific. The consequences? We have already experienced them, and more than us the creatures that populate the sea.
Francesca Mancuso
Photo: Noaa via NMMF
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