About half a million sharks could be killed in the making of the Covid-19 vaccine, that's why
About half a million sharks could be killed in the making of the coronavirus vaccine. In fact, one of the ingredients of some versions of the Covid-19 vaccine under development is squalene, which currently comes from the liver of sharks.
We know squalene well because it is used in traditional Chinese flu medicine and also in cosmetics. Scientists are currently also using it in some versions of the Covid-19 vaccine. And if the final version were squalene-based, this would mean that over 500 sharks would be killed to provide two doses to immunize the population.
The Telegraph did a piece on the role that sharks are playing in the race to find a Covid-19 vaccine, and what could…
Posted by Shark Allies on Sunday, September 27, 2020
The Californian environmental group Shark Allies makes these calculations.
“Collecting squalene from a wild animal is never sustainable, especially if it is an exceptional predator that does not breed in large quantities,” explains Stefanie Brendl, founder and executive director of Shark Allies.
Squalene is expected to serve as an adjunct to increase the effectiveness of the vaccine by creating a stronger immune response. British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline already uses this oil in its adjuvant for flu shots. In May GSK said it would produce one billion doses of this adjuvant for potential use in Covid-19 vaccines. The point is that it is estimated that 3 sharks are needed to produce 1 tonne of squalene. What could happen would truly be some kind of extermination. To avoid threatening the shark population strained by habitat loss and intensive fishing, scientists are testing an alternative to squalene, a synthetic version made from fermented sugar cane.
“There are so many unknowns about this pandemic and how long it will last that if we used sharks, the number of those killed could be very high,” says Stefanie Brendl.
Squalene not only in Chinese medicine but also in our cosmetics
Sun creams, lipsticks, foundations and more with shark oil. Millions of flat-headed shark (Hexanchus griseus) are brutally killed every year to finance the cosmetics industry. Sharks that are listed as Endangered Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A horrifying method of capture that occurs in tropical countries where fishermen kill sharks for their liver which contains an oil. Squalene is paradoxically very cheap and serves to make the product more emollient, it is no coincidence that 90% of this extracted oil is sold in the beauty products industry. To know more:
Squalene in cosmetics: lipsticks, foundations and shark oil sunscreens
The organization also launched a petition to ask regulatory agencies and all manufacturers of vaccines, treatments and supplements to:
- A) Replace shark squalene with non-animal squalene asap.
- B) Include non-animal squalene in all testing for current and future products
- C) Support and develop large-scale production of non-animal squalene thus making it a renewable and sustainable resource for the new pharmaceutical industry standard
SIGN THE PETITION HERE
Source: The Telegraph
Read also:
- An anti-coronavirus vaccine is ready: human tests begin at the end of April
- Coronavirus: Hong Kong researchers claim they have a vaccine, but it will take at least another year to test
- Coronavirus: in Argentina they are infecting horses to extract autoimmune plasma for use on humans
