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

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

Decades After The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Local Dolphins Are Still Suffering - ScienceAlert
Feb 20, 2021 53 secs

Comparing populations of common bottlenose dolphins (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.

Previous studies have already revealed the shorter-term impacts of the oil spill on the Barataria Bay dolphins, including abnormal adrenal function, lung disease, impaired reproduction, immune system problems and decreased survival.

"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," explained 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 – T regulatory cells.

While immunological changes have also been seen in dolphins exposed to other stresses, like algal bloom toxins, the pattern of changes was different from those seen in the Barataria Bay dolphins.

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