A banned flame retardent is among a host of contaminants found in osprey living in Casco Bay. That's according to a new study by the BioDiversity Research Institute in Gorham.
The report documents the highest level of a stain repellant ever recorded in Maine birds, researchers say. "These results are surprising," says the report's author Wing Goodale in a statement. "The level of stain repellant was so high I immediately checked with the analysis laboratory to confirm the result."
Goodale says the flame retardant deca-BDE, which was banned in Maine consumer products in 2007, was found in nearly all the osprey eggs tested. Biologists also found industrial stain and water repellants, transformer coolants and pesticides in all the eggs.
The institute's raptor program director, Chris DeSorbo, says the compounds could impair the ospreys' ability to hunt and care for their young.
Goodale says many of the chemicals found in the birds can interact, creating more harmful compounds. The scientists say the study highlights the need for further study of the effects of contaminants in Casco Bay.
For more information on the study, click here.
|
