NEW TEST RESULTS: Sea Nettles – A Common Food for Bottlenose Dolphins – Contaminated with Alarming Levels of “Persistent Toxic Components of Crude Oil”

Sample description: Composite of 3 sea nettles, (jellyfish)
Sampled on: September 22, 2010 by Boston Chemical Data
Sample location: Gulfport Beach, Mississippi, on intertidal beach
Testing by: ALS Laboratory of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Three sea nettles – a common food for bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf – were sampled, tested, and found to be contaminated with 46.0 mg/kg of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, (PAHs.) These are among the more contaminated samples of marine organisms our research team has sampled. PAHs found include alkylated naphthalenes, phenanthrenes, and benzo(a)pyrene. These are persistent toxic components of crude oil that can bioaccumulate and move up the food chain to contaminate predatory animals. See test data here: jellyfishdata

Note: Forensic analysis found a match to BP crude oil for 1 of 3 triaromatic sterane ratios, 2 of 3 aromatic steranes, and 1 of 5 terpanes.

© Smith Stag, LLC 2010 – All Rights Reserved