| Whales and pollution should not go hand in | | | | |
| hand however, the fact is they do, whales are | | | | Sound. Whales and pollution through sound is |
| greatly affected by human actions that bring | | | | also of serious concern explorations for |
| together whales and pollution. | | | | petroleum causes continual underwater booms. |
| | | | Military operations using lower-level sonar |
| * Contaminants | | | | that can cast up to 230 dB near the source. |
| | | | The activity from cruise ships, ocean liners, |
| * Sound | | | | tankers and submarines, all contributing to |
| | | | noise pollution that can seriously affect the |
| * Plastic | | | | marine life including whales. Pollution by |
| | | | sound can cause whales to abandon natural |
| Contaminants. Whales are polluted from | | | | habitat and go off course also throwing off |
| contaminants dumped in to the oceans, | | | | their ability to hunt affecting whales |
| chemicals which cause whales pollution, are | | | | communications systems through loud |
| harbored in their fatty tissues and organs, | | | | background sounds, the blue whale in |
| contaminated with PCB and DDT's from as long | | | | particular, whose sound can travel over 1000 |
| as 30 years ago, highly toxic levels were | | | | miles, enabling it to communicate with others |
| found in beached whales today. Other whale | | | | now because of sound pollution, its range is |
| pollutants prevalent are flame retardant's | | | | only a 10th the size of what it was. |
| PBDE that travel many miles in the atmosphere | | | | |
| and PFOs that do not break down ever, being | | | | Plastic. Whales and pollution from plastic, |
| passed on in the food chain, up to human | | | | it may be fun to see released balloons, |
| level. Some chemicals are endocrine | | | | watching them float off into the distance, |
| disruptor's. The Transient killer whales are | | | | but did you consider where they might end up? |
| susceptible to pollution from toxic | | | | Floating hundreds of miles, ending up in |
| substances that weaken their immune system, | | | | side mammals, sea turtles, dolphins and |
| also making them more prone to problems with | | | | otters also mistake them for jellyfish |
| reproduction, increasing the chances of more | | | | swallow them, which instead of providing |
| whales with pollution. Belugas also called | | | | nourishment block their digestive tract and |
| sea Canaries because of their harmonious | | | | end up killing them. The area of the Pacific |
| voices. Evidence shows that a high number of | | | | ocean almost from Japan to Hawaii is home to |
| beluga whales have pollution from the St. | | | | an enormous floating plastic debris pile from |
| Lawrence River region and died of cancer. | | | | basketball's, grocery bags to toys, some have |
| Autopsies also revealed a high level of | | | | been ground up floating in small confetti |
| exposure to PAHs, the Alcan aluminum plant is | | | | like particles. This area is a vortex where |
| upstream, and poisonous metals from it end up | | | | the ocean circulates slowly because of little |
| in the water, even though this plant has | | | | wind and extreme high pressure systems, it's |
| reduced air emissions, the whales eat small | | | | growing each year, this plastic garbage comes |
| invertebrates that live in toxic sentiment, | | | | from people throwing garbage from cruise |
| who eat contaminated algae, which adds to | | | | ships oil platforms and plastic pellets from |
| belugas demise. The toxins that they ingest | | | | industry. paddling in plastic |
| stay in the fat cells they are passed on to | | | | |
| the fat rich milk for their calf's this in | | | | Interesting fact it takes only a quart of oil |
| turn is passed on to the next generation, and | | | | or some kinds of paint to contaminate many |
| so on, building up with each one. Puget | | | | thousands of gallons of water, creatures that |
| Sound Alaska is facing the decline of salmon, | | | | rely upon waterproofing (fur feathers) can |
| Orca populations are also dropping as they | | | | die of hypothermia from just one drop. |
| eat the salmon. | | | | |