Name: Decades After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Local Dolphins Are Still Suffering
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Decades After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Local Dolphins Are Still Suffering

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An oil rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana killed eleven workers on 20 April 2010. The world then watched helplessly as BP's oil gushed out into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days, killing untold .Dolphins that survived one of the worst environmental disasters ever, still appear to be suffering the effects over a decade later.Comparing populations of (Tursiops truncatus) of Barataria Bay in Louisiana that live within the area of oil exposure to populations from Sarasota Bay in Florida, which haven't been exposed to serious pollution, researchers have found there are still troubling health differences between them. have already revealed the of the oil spill on the Barataria Bay dolphins, including abnormal adrenal function, lung disease, impaired reproduction, immune system problems and . Dolphins living within the spill area only gave birth to living calves .Analysing tissue samples from 34 Barataria Bay dolphins, University of Connecticut veterinary scientist Sylvain De Guise and colleagues found immune system impairments in 2018 similar to those found in the population in 2011. They then performed laboratory tests on dolphin cells and mice to confirm if oil exposure can trigger these conditions."The parallel between findings in dolphins exposed following the Deepwater Horizon spill and laboratory mice experimentally exposed to oil was impressive and really helped build the weight of evidence between oil exposure and specific effects on the immune system," De Guise.Both the mice exposed to oil and the dolphins had increased T lymphocyte (white blood cell) proliferation and more cells that suppress the immune system – . These cells usually prevent autoimmune diseases.While immunological changes have also been seen in dolphins exposed to other stresses, like , the pattern of changes was different from those seen in the Barataria Bay dolphins. have previously linked such immune system changes to increased susceptibility to disease. De Guise's team showed these immune differences could also be passed down from rodents who had been exposed to oil pollution to their young. And as the changes were not just present in the older dolphins, the team is concerned these impairments are being passed down through the generations of dolphins.There is, however, another potential explanation for this though."It is possible that there is continued exposure to the Deepwater Horizon oil that may not have been completely removed from the Barataria Bay ecosystem," in their paper.Samples of the Barataria Bay marsh sediments showed oil concentrations were still 10 times higher than before the spill, eight years later. Further research will be needed to determine exactly what is happening.Researchers are concerned the long term effects of oil spills may not be limited to dolphins. We still know little about the health outcome from other . Immune effects have in humans who have worked to clean up oil spills, suggesting there's a common response to oil exposure across mammals."The long-term effects and potential for multigenerational effects raise significant concerns for the recovery of dolphin populations following the spill," De Guise . This research was published in .

An oil rig explosion off the coast of Louisiana killed eleven workers on 20 April 2010. The world then watched helplessly as BP's oil gushed out into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days, killing untold .Dolphins that survived one of the worst environmental disasters ever, still appear to be suffering the effects over a decade later.Comparing populations of (Tursiops truncatus) of Barataria Bay in Louisiana that live within the area of oil exposure to populations from Sarasota Bay in Florida, which haven't been exposed to serious pollution, researchers have found there are still troubling health...

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Tessa Koumoundouros is Journalist and editorial assistant at ScienceAlert. She is fascinated by all living things, so it’s no surprise she mainly writes about biology, health, and the environment.  Tessa has contributed behind the scenes at The Conversation and the Climate Council, and her science reporting has been published by Lateral Magazine. She holds a Bachelor of Science with honors, majoring in zoology and genetics, and a Masters in Science Communication. She also worked as an exotics veterinary nurse, before joining the ScienceAlert editorial team in 2018.  She is an accomplished illustrator and designer, and puts her skills to work when curating incredible images for ScienceAlert’s social media, and designing infographics such as the This Week in Science series.  In her spare time, Tessa loves exploring wild places, stalking wildlife with a camera, reading, and drawing.

Decades After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Local Dolphins Are Still Suffering

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