‘Killer whales dying due to pollution’

Chemical pollutants could lead to the disappearance of half of the world’s populations of killer whales from the most heavily contaminated areas within a period of just 30 to 50 years, according to a study. More than 40 years after the first initiatives were taken to ban the use of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), the chemical pollutants remain a deadly threat to animals at the top of the food chain, according to researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark. Killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) form the last link in a long food chain and are among the mammals with the highest level of PCBs in their tissue. Researchers have measured values as high as 1300 milligrammes per kilo in the fatty tissue (blubber) of killer whales. Studies show that animals with PCB levels as low as 50 milligrammes per kilo of tissue may show signs of infertility and affect the immune system.
Source :  https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-life/killer-whales-dying-due-to-pollution/article25076773.ece

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