Re: Toxic waste creates hermaphrodite Arctic polar bears

In article <1137039787.195389.286070@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
don@xxxxxxxxxxxx (don findlay) wrote:

>
> Alan wrote:
> > In article <1137024130.827052.52560@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> > don@xxxxxxxxxxxx (don findlay) wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Alan wrote:
> > > > http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article337581.ece
> > > >
> > > > Wildlife researchers have found new evidence that Arctic polar bears,
> > > > already
> > > > gravely threatened by the melting of their habitat because of global
> > > > warming,
> > > > are being poisoned by chemical compounds commonly used in Europe and
> > > > North
> > > > America to reduce the flammability of household furnishings like sofas,
> > > > clothing
> > > > and carpets.
> > > >
> > > > A team of scientists from Canada, Alaska, Denmark and Norway is
> > > > sounding the
> > > > alarm about the flame retardants, known as polybrominated diphenyls, or
> > > > PBDEs,
> > > > saying that significant deposits have recently been found in the fatty
> > > > tissues
> > > > of polar bears, especially in eastern Greenland and Norway's Svalbard
> > > > islands.
> > > >
> > > > Studies are still being carried out on what impact the chemicals might
> > > > be
> > > > having
> > > > on the bears, but tests on laboratory animals such as mice indicate that
> > > > their
> > > > effects can be considerable, attacking the sex and thyroid glands, motor
> > > > skills
> > > > and brain function.
> > > >
> > > > There is also evidence that compounds similar to the PBDEs have
> > > > contributed
> > > > to a
> > > > surprisingly high rate of hermaphroditism in polar bears. About one in
> > > > 50
> > > > female
> > > > bears on Svalbard has both male and female sex organs, a phenomenon
> > > > scientists
> > > > link directly to the effects of pollution.
> > > >
> > > > "The Arctic is now a chemical sink," declared Colin Butfield, a campaign
> > > > leader
> > > > for the Worldwide Fund for Nature, which last month indicated that
> > > > killer
> > > > whales
> > > > in the Arctic were also suffering from elevated levels of contamination
> > > > with
> > > > fire retardants as well as other man-made compounds. "Chemicals from
> > > > products
> > > > that we use in our homes every day are contaminating Arctic wildlife."
> > > >
> > > > The pollutants are carried northwards from industrialised regions of
> > > > the US
> > > > and
> > > > western Europe on currents and particularly on northbound winds.
> > > > Contaminated
> > > > moisture often condenses on arriving in the cold Arctic climes and is
> > > > then
> > > > deposited, ready to enter the food chain.
> > > >
> > > > For several years, scientists have observed how the concentrations of
> > > > the
> > > > pollutants are magnified as they ascend the food chain, from plankton to
> > > > fish
> > > > and then to marine mammals such as seals, whales and polar bears. The
> > > > new
> > > > study,
> > > > first published last month in the journal Environmental Science and
> > > > Technology,
> > > > shows, for instance, that one compound was 71 times more concentrated in
> > > > polar
> > > > bears than in the seals they normally feed upon.
> > > >
> > > > Conservationists are especially alarmed by these new findings because
> > > > of the
> > > > already fragile condition of the Arctic polar bear populations, some of
> > > > which
> > > > could be devastated before the end of the century. As warming
> > > > temperatures
> > > > erode
> > > > their hunting grounds, polar bears in Canada's western Hudson Bay
> > > > region,
> > > > for
> > > > instance, saw their numbers slide from 1,100 in 1995 to only 950 in
> > > > 2004.
> > > >
> > > > The dangers now posed by the PBDEs are reminiscent of the crisis 30
> > > > years
> > > > ago
> > > > over PCBs - polychlorinated biphenyls - a highly toxic by-product of
> > > > many
> > > > industries that was also found to be migrating to the Arctic. The
> > > > dumping of
> > > > PCBs was swiftly banned. Since 2004, manufacturing has stopped in the
> > > > US of
> > > > two
> > > > of the most toxic retardants, called penta and octa. Stockpiles of both
> > > > still
> > > > exist, however.
> > > >
> > > > According to Derek Muir, of Canada's Environmental Department and a
> > > > leader
> > > > of
> > > > the new research, there are signs of a slightly different retardant,
> > > > typically
> > > > used in construction materials and furnishings, also showing up in the
> > > > Arctic
> > > > and in the bears, called HBCD. "It's a chemical that needs to be
> > > > watched,
> > > > because it does biomagnify in the aquatic food webs and appears to be a
> > > > widespread pollutant."
> > > >
> > > > The research team tested 139 bears captured in 10 different locations
> > > > across the
> > > > Arctic region. They found that the bears in Norway's Svalbard, a
> > > > wildlife
> > > > refuge
> > > > where all hunting is banned, had 10 times the levels of the chemicals
> > > > than
> > > > bears
> > > > in Alaska and four times those in Canada.
> > > >
> > > > http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article337581.ece
> > > >
> > > > I can't help feeling that those "gay-bashing", right-wing, religious,
> > > > nut-jobs,
> > > > who don't believe in evolutionary theory, will find some way of saying
> > > > God
> > > > "intelligently designed" these hermaphrodite polar bears, while still
> > > > claiming
> > > > that homosexuals are the spawn of Satan, and that the way they pollute
> > > > the
> > > > earth
> > > > with their industries has nothing to do with anything. Hey, maybe Pat
> > > > Robertson
> > > > can have them all "taken out"?
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Alan
> > > >
> > > > http://www.veloceraptor.free-online.co.uk/enigma.html
> > > >
> > > > http://veloceraptor.blogspot.com/
> > > >
> > > > http://www.bushflash.com/pl_lo.html
> > >
> > > Some medical programme I heard long, long ago talking about this
> > > mentioned the drop in the male sperm count - nearly halved in 1949
> > > (/'59?) ..and never recovered. Going down steadily. (don't know
> > > about the female) Polychloride thingummies used as plasticisers.
> > > There's been a lot of research on all species (esp fish) except humans
> > > (too politically loaded) that show sexual convergence - less sexual
> > > discrimination between the species. Simulates oestregen. All those
> > > tupperware parties and gladwrap, and who knows, chlorinated water (?)
> > > Could well be something in it.
> > >
> > > What about a class action, guys?
> >
> > Well what I was kinda wondering about, which of course, our derisive
> > American
> > friends have never considered, is that if this stuff is in the environment,
> > and
> > changing polar bears like this, would it also explain why American men are
> > so
> > fucking weird?
>
> Well, they were having tupperware parties in America long before
> anywhere else. - Or are you just imputing a certain weirdness
> towards the destination of convergence. I daren't say 'women' of
> course because who knows what minefield that might ignite, but, ...you
> know, ...and without being specific, ..in the direction of sexual
> opposition. If they're not behaving like children (the blokes I mean),
> then they're talking like those whatd'youm'callems...
> http://groups.google.com.au/group/sci.geo.geology/msg/f195a873a0f2cee1?dmode=s
> ource
> Have you seen the way they carry on on television these days too? The
> drama? Christ!! And you'll notice none of the guys are complaining
> about that didlo thing either..... ... ...!.. And Jo, who is
> complaining, ..when started it. (Jesus!) Think I'll throw a tantrum
> <tantrum>. There, ..glad I got that out of my system, ..never mind
> the devastation all around... Is that a metaphor for America? Is
> that what you mean?
>
> ...And see when I put that chlorinated water on my garden ... Kills
> it. Stone dead. Or at least it's a real body-blow.

It gets worse:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/oneeyed-cat-no-hoax/2006/01/13/1136956335177
..html

One-eyed cat no hoax

AP regional photo editor Tom Stathis said he took extensive steps to confirm the
one-eyed cat was not a hoax.

Stathis had Allen ship him the memory card that was in her camera.
On the card were a number of pictures - including holiday snapshots, and four
pictures of a one-eyed kitten.

The kitten pictures showed the animal from different perspectives.

Fabricating those images in sequence and in the camera's original picture
format, from the varying perspectives, would have been virtually impossible,
Stathis said.

- AP

Hermaphrodite Arctic polar bears and one eyed cats in Oregon? I do hope this has
nothing to do with all that *depleted* *uranium* that certain people have
seen fit to use liberally in certain places. You know how pollution gets carried
up to the arctic first.


Alan

http://www.veloceraptor.free-online.co.uk/enigma.html

http://veloceraptor.blogspot.com/

http://www.bushflash.com/pl_lo.html
.

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