Species and Pollution

[Wild-Woman]

Does anyone have any specific information on the decline of any species solely attributed to pollution? Eg-nitrate wash off into rivers killing fish/ lead from exhausts killing insects/ crop sprays entering the food chain and killing raptors. I need to draw up something like this for my environment club using a real life example.
We've done habitat loss, global warming and natural disasters already. I need to concentrate a bit on pollutants now. Julie. Thanks.

[speckled wood]

Another pollution is that of Light Pollution from security lamps, flood lighting and street lighting ...... most of it uneccessary and highly wasteful of energy resulting in a further contribution to CO2 emmissions and the "Greenhouse Effect", probably has had a negative effect on the Glowworm population plus probably draws many insects to their deaths.

[Dan Salter]

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

Does anyone have any specific information on the decline of any species solely attributed to pollution? Eg-nitrate wash off into rivers killing fish/ lead from exhausts killing insects/ crop sprays entering the food chain and killing raptors. I need to draw up something like this for my environment club using a real life example.
We've done habitat loss, global warming and natural disasters already. I need to concentrate a bit on pollutants now. Julie. Thanks.

Environment club?...sounds fun or is it a thing at your school?

[Wild-Woman]

Sorry Dan. 10-11 year olds only. Think the stubble might give you away!.

[Mr Mag00]

the first one that comes to mind is ddt
DDT - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DDT - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[speckled wood]

Originally Posted by Mr Mag00

the first one that comes to mind is ddt
DDT - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
DDT - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

DDT is the classic one and it took 30 years before something was done, dramaitc fall in the Opsrey population was just one effect of DDT but all sorts of other insidous effects have been claimed down to birth effects in humans.

Yet another was "Agent Orange" used in Vietnam by the US to defoliat forests this caused horrific birth defects in the Vietnamese Population what was not mentioned was its effect on other species and of course the effect of the defoliation of the forests where it was used.

On petrol and lead pollution conversations thirty years ago with Peter Forder and Geofrey Wotherspoon brought the opinion that it was probably the developemnt of the oil refineries in the Ellesmere Port area of Cheshire that caused the extinction of the Silver-studded Blue in Delamere Forest. Perhaps similar influences may have caused its dissapearance from the Cannock Chase area as well. Interesting though is that the sole survivng colony is located between two very busy trunk roads, and that there seems to have been an increase in the population there since the start of widespread use of unleaded petrol.

[wanlock dod]

I just came across this thread, so no doubt too late for your environment club. I would agree that DDT is the classic example, and probably set the scene for much of todays chemicals management legislation.

The only species specific example that I can think of off hand is diclofenac, a drug used for humans but also a vetinary medicine, causing the deaths of large numbers of vultures who feed on the bodies of dead cattle in India and Pakistan. As I understand it this cased a massive decline in the vulture populations and resulted in problems with decaying carcases lying on the land because there were no vultures to remove them. I'm not sure of the current status of the vultures.

[Brocakat]

Does anyone else remember the 'Acid-Rain' scandal back inthe 1980's? Defoliation of Conifer Forests. I think it was blamed on Sulphuric Acid Pollution, - fall-out from Coal -Fired Power Stations in mainland Europe.
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There was a great hoo-haa upon the Return of Wild Salmon to the River Thames - that must be about 10-15 years ago....

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I do know that until the mid 1980's , ( and then afterward, tailing-off, due sto the lessening of directly dumping waste chemical into it - [Factory closures?] - anyone falling into the Mersey ( this river passes thorough Manchester/Trafford Park before Liverpool ) -- anyone falling in routinely had their stomach pumped. How much wildlife was lost & for how long is anyones' guess.