Fish Suffering Heart Failure and Decreased Numbers due to BP Oil Spill
From Ring of Fire:
Nearly four years after BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill, evidence of the environmental damage the company caused continues to surface. A new study by scientists at Stanford University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reveals how chemicals from the oil spill caused heart failure in fish, in particular, the Atlantic bluefin tuna.
BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig blowout and subsequent 5-month-long oil spill occurred in the major spawning area of the western Atlantic bluefin tuna during the fish’s peak spawning season. Tuna embryos and larvae were exposed to crude oil, causing a substantial decline in the population. Scientists believe that other fish spawned in the area, including blue marlin, swordfish, and yellowfin tuna, were also affected. The study is part of ongoing research into the environmental impact of the BP oil spill.
Scientists found that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are found in crude oil, disrupt normal heart muscle contraction and relaxation in fish. PAHs are particularly dangerous because they can linger for long periods in the environment; most do not break down quickly in the water. In other studies, PAHs have been found to cause tumors and reproductive problems in laboratory animals. They have also been linked to cancer in humans, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
You can read the full article here at Ring of Fire.