Study: dolphins around the UK dying of chemical pollution

Scientists have found that dolphins around the United Kingdom are dying at alarming rates due to a combination of rising ocean temperatures and chemical pollution. In particular, the animals are killed by infections provoked by toxic chemicals called PCBs or polychlorinated biphenyl. These substances were banned in the UK in 1981, but they are still found in alarming quantities in marine wildlife. In a recent study, researchers examined the post-mortem records of 800 dolphins found between 1990 and 2020. They found that for every 1 milligram per kilogram increase in PCBs, the dolphins’ risk of dying from an infection increased by 1.6%. And with rising sea temperatures, that risk increased further. The research highlights how pollution and overheating oceans make marine life extremely vulnerable. This dynamic endangers animals we rely on for food and damages coastal communities that survive on healthy oceans.
While the UK banned PCBs over forty years ago, they are still reaching waterways through old industrial stockpiles and byproducts of modern manufacturing. Measures to address the issue include removing equipment that still utilizes PCBs and making water treatment systems more effective against long-term pollutants.