Chemical pollutants, some of which have been shown to impair the reproduction ability of other animals, particularly birds and reptiles, are present in sea snakes in the United Arab Emirates.
Among those found was a chemical derivative of the pesticide DDT, whose use in agriculture was outlawed in the United States fifty years ago due to its effects on wildlife.
Scientists from the American University of Sharjah and the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) in Sharjah thoroughly examined 13 dead sea snakes. They published their findings in a paper that was published in July in Marine Pollution Bulletin.
The researchers searched for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), two categories of persistent organic pollutants known as “forever chemicals” due to their protracted environmental persistence.
Pollutants will inevitably find their way into the water due to population growth, which could reduce the general health of marine life.
The Sharjah Strandings Response Programme gathered the animals, collecting dead marine reptiles, mammals, and seabirds. The animals were primarily located on Sharjah’s west coast. Additionally, the group rescues sick and injured animals, tends to their medical needs, and then releases them.
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