The Biome Breach Scenario

Biomes -- the interconnected systems of plants and animals in a region -- evolved over hundreds of thousands of years, based on local weather patterns and land structures. Predator/prey relationships, pollination mechanisms, seeding and birthing scheduling, and many other delicate interrelationships maintain stability in a biome.

Unfortunately, human activities over the last century have been dramatically disrupting these stable systems. The plastics we dump into the ocean break down into tiny little plastic particles, but never fully dissolve -- and they clog the gill and digestive systems of fish. The mercury we pump out of our coal plants into the air settles onto multiple biomes, which accrete in predator species, and kill them, leading to endocrine disruptions. The fertilizer we pump onto our fields leach into rivers and bays, which leads to "dead zones" in the ocean of hundreds of square miles.

When it comes to the concept of invasive species, it can be argued that humans are the most invasive species of all. From our origins on the African continent, we proceeded to invade the entire planet -- in the most dramatic diaspora imaginable. No other species has spread so far, and made so many alterations in the environment. The list of those alterations is without end -- the Institute can only hope to tickle the very tip that quickly melting iceberg.

Ultimately, everything humans have introduced into the environment, intentionally or unintentionally -- pollution, cane toads, rats, zebra mussels, kudzu, pathogens, estrogens, billboards, GM foods, etc. -- can be considered an introduction of non-indigenous factors. We can think of but a few breaches that can't be blamed on humans: volcanoes, tsuanamis, earthquakes. Of course, a meteor slamming into the planet is the Mother of all Biome Breaches.

And so, this apocalypse is something of a catch-all of human intrusions into the multiple biomes of the world. Our warming of the oceans is breaching the stability of the coral systems. Our strip-farming of the Midwest has wiped out the stability of the grasslands. Our sewer systems concentrate the hormones we urinate, which disrupt the endocrine systems of the fish in our rivers, and the other animals which feed on them. The acidic rain that falls on forests disrupts the balances within the soil, damaging the health of every tree within it.

Understanding this apocalypse requires requires systemic thinking, at which humans are notoriously poor. We kill the wolves, because we don't want them eating our sheep -- and then we wonder why there are so many deer eating our gardens. We cut down the hillside trees to build condos, and then wonder why we have landslides when it rains hard. We stripmine the ocean with driftnets, and then wonder why the Northern cod has disappeared.

We are projecting, over the next ten years, using mostly pessimistic predictions, the following scenario:



Biome Breach News Items

from Health Day News, 02/17/08
Environmental Toxin Collects in Breast Milk
"Scientists have discovered the mechanism by which a chemical known as perchlorate can collect in breast milk and cause cognitive and motor deficits in newborns."
The ApocoDocs say:
Major score for Nestle's Baby Formula!
more on Perchlorate

from The Daily Star (Bangladesh), 02/17/08
Natural calamities and Bangladesh growth potential
Apart from natural calamities we are facing two other disasters in Bangladesh: (a) our agricultural land is reducing, almost 1 percent per annum. As a result, we would not be able to increase the production of food grains beyond the limits supported currently available by high yield varieties, (b) the high growth of population is hindering all our development plans. If we could control the population growth from the time of our independence, there would not be any people below poverty level at this point in time.
The ApocoDocs say:
Our estimate is that it would take 651,214 George Harrisons to address the problem.

from Telegraph.co.uk, 02/17/08
Naples rubbish threatens environment disaster
"Five thousands tonnes of stinking rubbish have piled up as a result of closed incineration plants and misused public funds. Incompetent management, crooked politicians and above all, the Neapolitan mafia, have been blamed for the crisis. But the result is not in doubt. The southern region's 6m people are now threatened by rising levels of the poisons, which experts warn could remain in the food chain for decades."
The ApocoDocs say:
Who'da thunk that the Mafia couldn't "take out the trash"....

from UPI, 02/16/08
Invasive beetle attacks redbay trees
"Tallahassee, Fla. A beetle imported from Asia is spreading around the southeast United States, leaving dead and dying redbay trees in its wake. The redbay ambrosia beetle is believed to have entered the country through Savannah, Ga., in 2002, probably in a wood pallet or packing case. It has spread into the Carolinas and south to Florida, where it was spotted for the first time last summer in Brevard County in central Florida, Florida Today reports. The beetle produces a fungus that spreads throughout a tree, eventually killing it. The fungus nourishes more generations of beetles."
The ApocoDocs say:
This redbay ambrosia beetle reminds us of the retirees who invade Florida in their RVs or build their condos, negatively impacting the local environment.

from UPI, 02/16/08
Hordes of rats ravaging Indian state
"CALCUTTA, India, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- The Indian state of Mizoram saw its crops ravaged by hordes of hungry rats last year, leading to the loss of nearly 40,000 tons of rice. Mizoram agriculture official James Lalsiamliana said the state's flowering bamboo crops drew in large numbers of the rodents, which went on to eat up much of the crop supply in 2007, the BBC reported Saturday. Lalsiamliana said that among the other crops decimated by the rodent invasion were the state's watermelon, chilli, banana, pumpkin and papaya supplies."
The ApocoDocs say:
We usually ask you to "mouse" over the image but in this particular case, we ask you to "rat" over it. If this ain't a "plague of rats" we don't know what is.

from Associated Press, 02/16/08
Beetles may wipe out Colo. lodgepoles
"DENVER - Strands of distressed, red pine trees across northern Colorado and the Front Range are a visible testament to the bark beetle infestation that officials said will kill most of the state's lodgepole pine trees within 5 years. The infestation that was first detected in 1996 grew by half-million acres last year, bringing the total number of acres attacked by bark beetles to 1.5 million, state and federal forestry officials said Monday. "This is an unprecedented event," said Rick Cables, Rocky Mountain regional forester for the U.S. Forest Service."
The ApocoDocs say:
And the beetles shall not just inherit the earth but take it by storm.

from Emerging Infectious Diseases, 02/16/08
High Degree Of Antibiotic Resistance Found In Wild Arctic Birds
"Swedish researchers report that birds captured in the hyperboreal tundra, in connection with the tundra expedition "Beringia 2005," were carriers of antibiotics-resistant bacteria. These findings indicate that resistance to antibiotics has spread into nature, which is an alarming prospect for future health care. "We were extremely surprised," says Björn Olsen, professor of infectious diseases at Uppsala University and at the Laboratory for Zoonosis Research at the University of Kalmar. "We took samples from birds living far out on the tundra and had no contact with people. This further confirms that resistance to antibiotics has become a global phenomenon and that virtually no region of the earth, with the possible exception of the Antarctic, is unaffected."
The ApocoDocs say:
PostApocHaiku:
this proves our days are
few when it comes to chillin'
with Penicillin.

from Associated Press, 02/16/08
Zebra mussel discovered in California
"HOLLISTER, Calif. - State wildlife officials say a destructive species known as the zebra mussel has been discovered in California for the first time. Department of Fish and Game spokeswoman Alexia Retallack says a fisherman found the mollusks while fishing in the San Justo Reservoir in San Benito County. State officials plan to conduct further surveys to determine the extent of the infestation and develop a plan to stop its spread."
The ApocoDocs say:
PostApocHaiku:
for zebra mussels
there's no grey area as
they wreak destruction

from University of Leicester, 02/16/08
Man-made Changes Bring About New Epoch In Earth
"Geologists from the University of Leicester propose that humankind has so altered the Earth that it has brought about an end to one epoch of Earth's history and marked the start of a new epoch ... they suggest humans have so changed the Earth that on the planet the Holocene epoch has ended and we have entered a new epoch - the Anthropocene."
The ApocoDocs say:
And we are going to hang ourselves by that Anthrope.

from The Guardian, 02/16/08
Bush opens 3m acres of Alaskan forest to logging
"The US government has announced plans to open more than 3m acres (about 5,000 square miles) of Alaskan wilderness to logging, mining and road building, angering environmental campaigners who say it will devastate the region. Supporters say the plan for the Tongass National Forest, a refuge for grizzly and black bears, wolves, eagles and wild salmon, will revive the state's timber industry. The Bush administration plan for the forest, the largest in the US at nearly 17m acres, would open 3.4m acres to logging, road building and other development, including about 2.4m acres that are currently remote and without roads. About 663,000 acres are in areas considered most valuable for timber production."
The ApocoDocs say:
You'd think someone named "Bush" would have more affinity for the trees.

from National Geographic News, 02/16/08
Flame Retardants Found in Rare Tasmanian Devils
"Flame retardants that are suspected carcinogens have been found in some of Australia's Tasmanian devils, researchers announced last week. The find triggered local media reports suggesting that the chemicals might be linked to the mysterious cancer that has been killing the rare marsupials for more than a decade. A study conducted by the Australian government's National Measurement Institute ... found "high" levels of hexabromobiphenyl ether and "reasonably high" levels of decabromobiphenyl ether�chemicals used to treat electronics, textiles, and furniture."
The ApocoDocs say:
Bugs Bunny was reported to have assisted the scientists in their study with his constant refrain of "What's up, Docs?"

from The Washington Post, 02/16/08
Dust Storms Overseas Carry Contaminants to U.S.
"...with NASA satellites and sampling by researchers around the world, scientists know that great billowing clouds of dust waft over the oceans in the upper atmosphere, arriving in North America from deserts in Africa and Asia. Scientists are beginning to look at these dust clouds as possible suspects in transcontinental movement of diseases such as influenza and SARS in humans, or foot-and-mouth disease in livestock. Until recently, epidemiologists had looked at people, animals and products as carriers of the diseases."
The ApocoDocs say:
NEWS FLASH, dude -- we are all connected.

from Thaindian News, 02/16/08
Environmental toxins may be linked to early onset of puberty in girls
"A new study conducted by researchers at the University of Pisa in Italy has suggested a link between environmental toxins and early onset of puberty in girls. The paper suggests that certain environmental toxins, such as the mycoestrogen zearalenone (ZEA) produced by the Fusarium fungus species, might disrupt the normal growth and hormonal development of girls."
The ApocoDocs say:
Pretty soon babies really will be having babies.

from The Telegraph (UK), 02/16/08
Killer jellyfish population explosion warning
"It could easily have been the role model for the terrifying creature in the film 'Alien'. A perfect toxin-loaded killing machine, there is no creature on earth that can dispatch a human being so easily or so quickly. The box jellyfish is so packed with venom that the briefest of touches can bring agonising death within 180 seconds. And if comes under sustained attack it responds by sending its compatriots into a super-breeding frenzy in which millions of replacements are created. The really bad news is that the box jellyfish and another equally poisonous species, Irukandji, are on the move. Scientists are warning that their populations are exploding and will pose a monumental problem unless they are stopped."
The ApocoDocs say:
And if these jellyfish ever hook up with the dreaded peanutbutterfish, it will truly signal the end of all hope.

from Times Colonist, 02/16/08
Killer whales loaded with fire retardant
"They wow tourists and remind people of the mysteries and majesty of the ocean, but killer whales swimming around the waters of Vancouver Island are the most contaminated animals on Earth...Blubber studies on the two salmon-eating populations of resident killer whales -- the endangered southern residents with 88 members and the threatened northern residents with 230 members -- have found a significant buildup of toxins in their systems....A growing concern is the rapid buildup of PBDEs, the chemicals found in fire retardants..."
The ApocoDocs say:
What's more "killer" than a killer whale? You guessed it: human-made chemicals!

from Behavioral Neuroscience, 02/16/08
Saccharin may lead to weight gain
"Casting doubt on the benefit of low-calorie sweeteners, research released Sunday reported that rats on diets containing saccharin gained more weight than rats given sugary food. The study in the journal Behavioral Neuroscience found that the calorie-free artificial sweetener appeared to break the physiological connection between sweet tastes and calories, driving the rats to overeat. Lyn M. Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, who was not involved in the latest report, said the study offered a possible explanation for the unexpected association between obesity and diet soda found in recent human studies."
The ApocoDocs say:
This story is so ironic, it's post-ironic. The fat rats aren't laughing, though.

from Cambridge News, 02/16/08
Killer ladybirds are invading the area
"It may look like the delicate insect that has graced the nation's gardens for centuries. But the Asian harlequin ladybird is nothing like our gentle native species. It is a brutal killer which is set to wipe out Britain's 46 native species of ladybird due to its voracious appetite. Dr Mike Majerus, an academic at Cambridge University ... said: "The harlequin is very large, aggressive and out-competes our native species for food. And when it can't find aphids to eat, it will devour other ladybirds, as well as lacewing, butterflies and hoverflies."
The ApocoDocs say:
In England they're called ladybirds, in the US they're called ladybugs, but either way, they are not very ladylike.

from The Independent, 02/16/08
Insect explosion
"Food crops could be ravaged this century by an explosion in the numbers of insect pests caused by rising global temperatures, according to scientists who have carried out an exhaustive survey of plant damage when the earth last experienced major climate change. Researchers found that the numbers of leaf-eating insects are likely to surge as a result of rising levels of CO2, at a time when crop production will have to be boosted to feed an extra three billion people living at the end of 21st century."
The ApocoDocs say:
Anybody thinking plagues of locusts?

from Globe and Mail, 02/16/08
Salmon farms killing wild stocks: study
"VANCOUVER -- Salmon farms are having a negative impact on wild stocks globally, in many cases causing survival rates to drop by more than 50 per cent per generation, according to a new study being released today... It compared the marine survival of wild salmon in areas with salmon farming to adjacent areas that didn't have farms - and it found wild stocks are suffering wherever they are in contact with salmon farms....Studies have clearly shown that escaped farm salmon breed with wild populations to the detriment of the wild stocks, and that diseases and parasites are passed from farm to wild salmon."
The ApocoDocs say:
The big city salmon are mixing with the rural salmon and those durn city slickers are takin' over!

from Associated Press, 02/16/08
Study says people impact all oceans
"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop pristine, might be the lament of today's Ancient Mariner. Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the planet, and every single spot has been affected by people in some way. Researchers studying 17 different activities ranging from fishing to pollution compiled a new map showing how and where people have impacted the seas. Our results show that when these and other individual impacts are summed up, the big picture looks much worse than I imagine most people expected. It was certainly a surprise to me," said lead author Ben Halpern, an assistant research scientist at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis at the University of California, Santa Barbara."
The ApocoDocs say:
Oh, those scientists....always the last to know.

from Environmental Science and Technology, 02/16/08
Perchlorate in food
"Food is the primary source of perchlorate for most Americans, and U.S. toddlers on average are being exposed to more than half of the U.S. EPA's safe dose from food alone, according to a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) diet survey designed to provide perchlorate and iodine intake averages from food for the entire U.S. Even though the new study is silent on intake by highly exposed populations, several lawmakers and environmental advocates renew their calls for a national perchlorate drinking-water standard, EPA is not divulging its plans. The agency, which has been waiting for the results from the FDA study to help it decide whether to set a national drinking-water standard for perchlorate, intends to issue a preliminary determination on whether to regulate the substance soon, according to Benjamin Grumbles, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Water."
The ApocoDocs say:
If a guy named Benjamin Grumbles is making the announcement you can guess it ain't gonna be good news.

from Friends of the Earth, via Business Week, 02/17/08
Report Raises Alarm Over Superweeds
"As more acres of "Roundup Ready" crops are planted, the use of the pesticide has increased. The increased application has led some weeds to develop a resistance to glyphosate, the generic term for the chemical in Roundup. And, in turn, farmers have had to apply stronger doses of pesticide to kill the superweeds.... According to the report, the amount of weed-killing herbicides used by farmers has exploded, rising fifteenfold since biotech crops were first planted. The report lists eight weeds in the U.S. -- among them horseweed, common waterhemp, and hairy fleabane -- that have developed resistance to glyphosate, the most commonly applied pesticide."
The ApocoDocs say:
Not surprisingly, elsewhere in the article, this headline:
Monsanto Profit Forecast Up.
The makers of Roundup are like heroin dealers, raising the junkies' resistance, so they can sell more, more, more.
Until the overdose.

from SeaReport, via Youtube, 02/17/08
Plastic in the Ocean video, from 2001

The ApocoDocs say:
The researchers found 6 pounds of plastic fragments, for each 1 pound of zooplankton. In 2001! That's a lot of empty calories... and pthalates, and endocrine disrupters..

from Los Angeles Times, 02/22/08
Huge beef recall issued
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the largest beef recall in its history Sunday, calling for the destruction of 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef produced by a Chino slaughterhouse that has been accused of inhumane practices. However, the USDA said the vast majority of the meat involved in the recall -- including 37 million pounds that went mostly to schools -- probably has been eaten already. Officials emphasized that danger to consumers was minimal."
The ApocoDocs say:
This story is so crazy I hardly know where to start -- however, the fact that they are recalling meat that has pretty much already been consumed might be the most surreal aspect. Of course, the saddest part is that this meat went to school children.

from The Star Press, 02/18/08
Activists fear new list could harm river cleanup efforts
"INDIANAPOLIS (AP) A shift in how Indiana compiles a federally mandated list of its polluted waterways has removed about 800 stretches of rivers and streams from that list, leaving environmentalists worried that it could hamper watershed restoration efforts. State officials contend the new methodology has produced a more accurate picture of Indianas impaired waterways, and will allow them to focus on cleaning up those most tainted with mercury, PCBs and other contaminants. But environmentalists say Indianas new approach is problematic because its de-listed parts of rivers and streams simply because it doesnt have data on whether they are polluted."
The ApocoDocs say:
Why are "activists" afraid of this de-listing process; why isn't everybody afraid?

from The Guardian, 02/18/08
Consequences of GM crop contamination
"The consequences of contamination between GM crops and non-GM varieties will be much more serious with the next generation of GM crops, an influential group of US scientists has warned. Mixing between GM and non-GM varieties has already caused serious economic losses for producers in lost sales and exports. But the consequences of mixing will be much more serious with new crops that are altered to produce pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals, the scientists argue. The crops could harm human health and be toxic to wild animals."
The ApocoDocs say:
This story reminds us of recent findings that salmon farms are harming their wild counterparts: salmon farms.

from The Asahi Shimbun, 02/19/08
Pesticide dichlorvos detected in sliced frozen mackerel imported from China
"TAKAMATSU--The pesticide dichlorvos, which had contaminated gyoza dumplings imported from China, was detected in sliced frozen mackerel processed in an area of China that handles a large volume of farm produce. The fish was sold in Japan by Kouzai Bussan Co., based in Sanuki city, east of here, company officials said Monday. They said 0.14 parts per million (ppm) of the organophosphorus pesticide was found in the product called Aburi Toro Shimesaba Suraisu, a package of 20 slices weighing about 200 grams."
The ApocoDocs say:
I suppose you could say that's an unholy mackeral.

from Terra Daily, 02/21/08
Fish Devastated By Sex-Changing Chemicals In Municipal Wastewater
"While most people understand the dangers of flushing toxic chemicals into the ecosystem through municipal sewer systems, one potentially devastating threat to wild fish populations comes from an unlikely source: estrogen. After an exhaustive seven-year research effort, Canadian biologists found that miniscule amounts of estrogen present in municipal wastewater discharges can decimate wild fish populations living downstream ... Male fish exposed to estrogen become feminized, producing egg protein normally synthesized by females."
The ApocoDocs say:
Bad for the fish's health and bad for their self-esteem as the males are considered girly-fish.

from National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (UCSB), 02/20/08
A Global Map of Human Impacts to Marine Ecosystems
The goal of the research presented here is to estimate and visualize, for the first time, the global impact humans are having on the ocean's ecosystems. Our analysis, published in Science, February 15, 2008, shows that over 40 percent of the world's oceans are heavily affected by human activities and few if any areas remain untouched.
The ApocoDocs say:
Check out the map. It's a terrible thing to see the ocean burning.

from Environmental Science and Technology, 02/21/08
Worms bear sludge load
"Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) end up in the tons of solid sludge left behind by wastewater treatment processes. Those so-called biosolids are often repackaged and sold as fertilizers for both industrial and small-scale agriculture. In a new survey, published in ES&T (DOI: 10.1021/es702304c), researchers show for the first time that those compounds can turn up in earthworms ... Bioaccumulation of PPCPs by worms is not entirely a surprise, according to Stockholm University's Cynthia De Wit, who points to her own work looking at PBDEs and other persistent compounds in earthworms. However, the new research underscores that worms could serve as monitoring organisms, she says. Because the worms seem to concentrate compounds that may be present at undetectable levels in the soils, they can be "a sort of sentinel, or magnifying glass of what's in the soil," she adds."
The ApocoDocs say:
From canaries in the coal mine to earthworms in the soil, other species bear too much of a load.

from American Chemical Society, 02/22/08
Translation: Earthworms and transmission of toxins
"Earthworms are an important link in transporting environmental contaminants from soil to other organisms in terrestrial food webs. Large molecules (>0.95 nm), such as PBDEs, are thought to not readily cross membranes, and thus do not accumulate in organisms. However, earthworms have been shown to accumulate contaminants of considerable size (8), including significant bioaccumulation from sludge-amended soils with mean biota-soil accumulation factors (BSAFs) of 4-8 for BDE-47, -99, and -100 (7). Similarly, studies of the aquatic worm, Lumbriculus variegatus, in PBDE-spiked sediments gave BSAFs of 3 for BDE-47 and -99 (9)."
The ApocoDocs say:
Translation: "Worms were thought not to gather toxins from human-sewage sludge. However, that idea was wrong, even though we sell human-sewage sludge to farmers these days."
What that implies: every early bird who gets the worm also gets concentrated toxins. It's as if the "prime soil predator" was concentrating toxins, not unlike bats (for prime air predator) and killer whales (prime ocean predator), concentrating toxins.

from National Geographic, 02/23/08
Rat Invasions Causing Seabird Decline Worldwide
"The global analysis found that non-native rats have been observed preying on roughly a quarter of all seabird species, often with disastrous consequences.... Now 102 of 328 recognized seabird species are considered threatened or endangered by the World Conservation Union, with predation by invasive species ranking among the top dangers."
The ApocoDocs say:
"Traveling with humans as ship stowaways, three rat species native to Europe and Asia have become established on about 90 percent of the world's major islands and island chains, experts say."
Now that's globalization!

from Science Daily (US), 02/23/08
Chemicals In Our Waters Are Affecting Humans And Aquatic Life In Unanticipated Ways
"Substances that we use everyday are turning up in our lakes, rivers and ocean, where they can impact aquatic life and possibly ourselves. Now these contaminants are affecting aquatic environments and may be coming back to haunt us in unanticipated ways.... The researchers looked at mixtures of five common insecticides and found that some combinations were much more toxic to the juvenile salmon than any one of the chemicals acting alone."
The ApocoDocs say:
What, I have to think about combinations of toxic chemicals? How can they label that?

from Science Daily (US), 02/23/08
First Documented Case Of Pest Resistance To Biotech Cotton
"Bt-resistant populations of bollworm, Helicoverpa zea, were found in more than a dozen crop fields in Mississippi and Arkansas between 2003 and 2006.... "What we're seeing is evolution in action," said lead researcher Bruce Tabashnik. "This is the first documented case of field-evolved resistance to a Bt crop.""
The ApocoDocs say:
Evolution? Isn't that just a theory?

from Washington Post (US), 02/24/08
Exxon Oil Spill Case May Get Closure
"When a federal jury in Alaska in 1994 ordered Exxon to pay $5 billion to thousands of people who had their lives disrupted by the massive Exxon Valdez oil spill, an appeal of the nation's largest punitive damages award was inevitable. But almost no one could have predicted the incredible round of legal ping-pong that only this month lands at the Supreme Court."
The ApocoDocs say:
At the Supreme Court, the Justices can play bad minton with the case.

from Science Daily (US), 02/26/08
Male Fertility May Be Harmed By Mix of Endocrine Disrupters
"...pregnant rats were exposed to a cocktail consisting of three chemicals that all inhibit the effect of the male sex hormone testosterone: The drug flutamide and the pesticides vinclozolin and procymidone. The three chemicals were administered in doses which are harmless individually. Concurrent exposure to the three substances did, however, show significant cocktail effects. The male rats did, among other things, develop female characteristics in the form of retained nipples and severely malformed external sexual organs. Sixty per cent of the male rats were, for example, born with hypospadias [an open urethra]."
The ApocoDocs say:
We produce a lot of endocrine disrupters.
Say, maybe we can genetically engineer ourselves to be immune to them!

from The Gazette, 02/26/08
Colorado's getting dustier
"The amount of dust blowing into Colorado from the west has increased 500 percent since humans settled the region, a dust bowl effect that could impact snowpack and human health, a study has found. A team of researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder analyzed soil samples at two remote lakes high in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado, and found dust levels five to seven times higher than at any time in the past 5,000 years.
The ApocoDocs say:
This dust bowl will make The Grapes of Wrath look like a cooking show.

from United Press International, 02/28/08
Polluted prey affects wild birds
"Welsh scientists have found brain and behavioral changes in wild birds after the birds forage on invertebrates contaminated with environmental pollutants. Katherine Buchanan and colleagues at Cardiff University studied male European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) foraging at a sewage treatment works and analyzed the earthworms that constitute their prey. The researchers found birds exposed to environmentally relevant levels of synthetic and natural estrogen developed longer and more complex songs compared with males in a control group...The researchers also found female starlings prefer the song of males exposed to the mixture of endocrine disrupting chemicals, suggesting the potential for population level effects on reproductive success."
The ApocoDocs say:
Clearly, the female starlings just feel sorry for the males. Not the first time pity has gotten a fella laid, eh?

from Guardian (UK), 03/02/08
Scientists warn of new plague of jellyfish in Spain
"The problem seen on the beaches is not the main concern for scientists," said Professor Gili, "For us the major worry is the global disequilibrium in the sea caused by over-fishing." As a result of over-fishing, the jellyfish do not have to face their usual predators and competitors, which usually regulate population growth. Numbers of large fish such as swordfish and red tuna, which eat jellyfish, have been drastically reduced by bad fishing practices, as have the smaller fish, such as sardines and whitebait, which compete for food with the stingers.... "Spectacular growth has been found in jellyfish populations in Japan, Namibia, Alaska, Venezuela, Peru, Australia ... this is an international ecological problem," Gili said.
The ApocoDocs say:
Perhaps we have to figure out
how to make jellyfish gumbo.
Mmmm.

from Tropical Conservation Science, via Mongabay.com, 03/03/08
China's tropical rainforests decline 67 percent in 30 years
Tropical rainforest cover in southern Yunnan decreased 67 percent in the past 30 years, mostly due to the establishment of rubber plantations, according to a new assessment of tropical forests in southwestern China.
The ApocoDocs say:
They're crushing the competition in Brazil!

from Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 03/04/08
Judge suggests he'll treat litter as 'solid waste'
"TULSA -- Poultry litter should be viewed as solid waste as defined by federal law, U. S. District Judge Gregory Frizzell said Monday afternoon. Frizzell said he's been considering how poultry litter fits into the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, legislated in 1976. Oklahoma seeks a preliminary injunction banning farmers from spreading poultry litter on farm fields in the Illinois River watershed. The state must prove that spreading litter is a threat to human health and that litter is "solid waste" under federal law. "Under RCRA [the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act ], this is likely solid waste," Frizzell said.
The ApocoDocs say:
Nobody can accuse this judge of being a chickenshit.

from Chesapeake Bay Journal, 03/04/08
Study links agriculture to increase of intersex fish in Potomac basin
"Scientists have been perplexed for years as to why large numbers of male smallmouth bass in the Potomac River basin contain immature egg cells, but they offer some clues in a recent journal article. Results published in the Journal of Aquatic Animal Health suggest that the high rate of "intersex" characteristics in smallmouth bass from the Shenandoah River and the South Branch of the Potomac appears to be linked to areas with large human populations or intense agricultural operations.
The ApocoDocs say:
Apparently, whether you're an urban smallmouth bass or a rural smallmouth bass, you're screwed.

from ABC (Australia), 03/05/08
GM Canola the new cane toad
"It's like a wild mustard, it's a weed, it just grows spontaneously everywhere," she said. "In Japan there's also evidence in this report of it just growing wild on the dockside and on the road. "They don't even grow any GM crops in Japan and GM canola is a problem [there] as a noxious weed."
The ApocoDocs say:
Appearing where it's not even grown... have they found the gene for matter transmission?

from Associated Press, 03/05/08
Industry trying to block smog cleanup
"WASHINGTON -- Big industries are waging an intense lobbying effort to block new, tougher limits on air pollution that is blamed for hundreds of heart attacks, deaths and cases of asthma, bronchitis and other breathing problems. The Environmental Protection Agency is to decide within weeks whether to reduce the allowable amount of ozone -- commonly referred to as smog -- in the air. A tougher standard would require hundreds of counties across the country to find new ways to reduce smog-causing emissions of nitrogen oxides and chemical compounds from tailpipes and smokestacks. Groups representing manufacturers, automakers, electric utilities, grocers and cement makers met with White House officials recently in a last-ditch effort to keep the health standard unchanged. They argued that tightening it would be costly and harm the economy in areas that will have to find additional air pollution controls."
The ApocoDocs say:
Grocers? Grocers? We can understand the automakers and utilities carin' more for their bottom line than for reg'lar folks like me and you ... but the grocers? Say it ain't so, Joe!

from Science Daily (US), 03/07/08
Chemicals In Our Waters Are Affecting Humans And Aquatic Life In Unanticipated Ways
Derek Muir of Environment Canada and colleagues have determined that of the 30,000 or so chemicals used commercially in the United States and Canada, about 400 resist breaking down in the environment and can accumulate in fish and wildlife. These researchers estimate that of this 400, only 4 percent are routinely analyzed and about 75 percent have not been studied.... found that some combinations were much more toxic to the juvenile salmon than any one of the chemicals acting alone...
The ApocoDocs say:
Willya quit ganging up on them?

from The Independent, 03/08/08
Invasion of the giant oysters
"The Pacific oyster was introduced to European coasts in the 1970s from Japan and British Columbia following the virtual collapse of the Continent's native oyster industry. The Pacific oyster was not introduced to Sylt, which boasted a formidable pre-war oyster industry, until 1986, and then only as a product that would be carefully farmed in an environment controlled partly by man....In 1995 the feral Pacific oyster population was about one oyster per square metre of tidal sand flat on Sylt. By 2004 the figure had leapt to nearly 500 per square metre. By 2007 the island's feral Pacific oyster count jumped to a staggering 2,000 per square metre. "What we are now experiencing is exponential growth of the wild oyster population," says Dr Reise. "We don't yet know where the process will end."
The ApocoDocs say:
If only these giant oysters contained giant pearls

from mlive.com, 03/09/08
Great Lakes fish soak in new poison
"Toxic flame retardants commonly used in computers, televisions and textiles have accumulated dramatically in Great Lakes fish over the past two decades, prompting legislative efforts to ban the compounds. The state Legislature in 2004 banned two types of the flame retardants, called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. Michigan was one of several states to ban the manufacture, use or distribution of penta-BDE and octa-BDE. But a third type of the chemical, deca-BDE, is still widely used and can break down into the more toxic forms of PBDEs. Environmental activists and some scientists are pushing for a ban on deca-BDE, a persistent toxin that accumulates in the food chain....The Michigan Chemistry Council and the Michigan Association of Fire Chiefs oppose banning deca-BDE. "Right now, we feel that the science has not justified the banning of deca-BDE," said Jerry Howell, chief executive officer of the Michigan Chemistry Council.
The ApocoDocs say:
If you go to Michigan Chemistry Council, you see its home page proudly announce that their offices "are located directly across the street from the State Capitol." Sounds kind of ominous to us.

from Associated Press, 03/12/08
AP probe finds drugs in drinking water
"A vast array of pharmaceuticals -- including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones -- have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows. To be sure, the concentrations of these pharmaceuticals are tiny, measured in quantities of parts per billion or trillion, far below the levels of a medical dose. Also, utilities insist their water is safe. But the presence of so many prescription drugs -- and over-the-counter medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen -- in so much of our drinking water is heightening worries among scientists of long-term consequences to human health."
The ApocoDocs say:
Maybe this is why -- in all those drug studies -- placebos are so effective. If we're drinking water, we're already on drugs.

from The Washington Post (US), 03/10/08
Solar Energy Firms Leave Waste Behind in China
With the prices of oil and coal soaring, policymakers around the world are looking at massive solar farms to heat water and generate electricity. For the past four years, however, the world has been suffering from a shortage of polysilicon -- the key component of sunlight-capturing wafers -- driving up prices of solar energy technology and creating a barrier to its adoption. With the price of polysilicon soaring from $20 per kilogram to $300 per kilogram in the past five years, Chinese companies are eager to fill the gap.... But Chinese companies' methods for dealing with waste haven't been perfected.... the byproduct of polysilicon production -- silicon tetrachloride -- is a highly toxic substance that poses environmental hazards.... For each ton of polysilicon produced, the process generates at least four tons of silicon tetrachloride liquid waste....
The ApocoDocs say:
Actually, the companies' methods have been perfected:
"Stopping between the cornfields and the primary school playground, the workers dumped buckets of bubbling white liquid onto the ground. Then they turned around and drove right back through the gates of their compound without a word."

from The Canadian Press, 03/12/08
Public warned not to consume certain juices for toddlers that may contain arsenic
"OTTAWA - The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Loblaws Inc. have warned the public not to consume certain pear juices for toddlers that may be contaminated with arsenic. The CFIA says in a news release that there have been no reported illnesses associated with the consumption of the products. The two products listed in the warning are the one-litre President's Choice Organics Pear Juice from Concentrate for Toddlers and the 128-millilitre Beech Nut Pear Juice from concentrate with Vitamin C added. The products have been distributed across the country, the agency says."
The ApocoDocs say:
Pear juices? That's what they get for not feeding these toddlers fast food kids' meals like their s'posed to!

from Arkansas Democrat Gazette, 03/13/08
Judge backs off comment on litter
"TULSA -- U. S. District Court Judge Gregory Frizzell backed away Tuesday from his March 3 comment that poultry litter is “solid waste” under federal law. Frizzell, who's overseeing a hearing on a preliminary injunction request to ban the spreading of poultry litter on farm fields in the Illinois River watershed, explained his switch on the last day of witness testimony. Attorneys are scheduled to give their closing arguments on the injunction at 1:30 p.m. today."
The ApocoDocs say:
Turns out this judge might be a chickenshit after all! See previous story

from Los Angeles Times, 03/14/08
Popular 'green' products test positive for toxicant
"New tests of 100 "natural" and "organic" soaps, shampoos and other consumer products show that nearly half of them contained a cancer-causing chemical that is a byproduct of petrochemicals used in manufacturing. Many items that tested positive for the carcinogen are well-known brands, including Kiss My Face, Alba, Seventh Generation and Nature's Gate products, sold in retail stores across the nation. The findings of the Organic Consumers Assn., a consumer advocacy group, are sending a jolt through the natural products industry. Gathering today in Anaheim for a national trade show, many leaders worry that the test results will taint the industry in the eyes of the public. Of the 100 products tested, 47 had detectable levels of 1,4-dioxane, which the Environmental Protection Agency has declared a probable human carcinogen because it causes cancer in lab animals."
The ApocoDocs say:
What else besides a carcinogen would be able to wash a taint out of the eyes?

from The Hindu, 03/14/08
Govt allows use of 66 pesticides banned outside in India
"New Delhi (PTI): The government on Friday said that there are 66 pesticides such as DDT and Endosulfan, which are either banned or severely restricted in other countries, but are permitted for use in India as these have been found to be harmless. "... use has been permitted only after thorough reviews and satisfying that the particular pesticide does not pose harmful effect under the conditions of use in our country," Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers B K Handique told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply."
The ApocoDocs say:
Would you like some atrazine fries with that PCB burger?

from Scientific American, 03/15/08
Fertilizer Runoff Overwhelms Streams and Rivers--Creating Vast "Dead Zones"
"The water in brooks, streams and creeks from Michigan to Puerto Rico carries a heavy load of pollutants, particularly nitrates from fertilizers. These nitrogen and oxygen molecules that crops need to grow eventually make their way into rivers, lakes and oceans, fertilizing blooms of algae that deplete oxygen and leave vast "dead zones" in their wake. There, no fish or typical sea life can survive. And scientists warn that a federal mandate to produce more biofuel may make the situation even worse."
The ApocoDocs say:
This whole dead zone thing just cul-de-sucks.

from Green Bay Press-Gazette, 03/15/08
Blocked study draws attention to PCBs
"It has been almost 20 years since the National Wildlife Federation issued its first fish consumption warning, drawing the public's attention to the effects of PCBs and mercury on Great Lakes fish. Back then, it was met with strong opposition from sport and commercial fishermen, among others. The debate continues to rage today. A 400-page study on health and environmental hazards in the Great Lakes was blocked from publication by the CDC last year. Part of the report draws attention to the health risks associated with eating fish from the Lower Fox River and Green Bay."
The ApocoDocs say:
This is a Biome Breach scenario in two ways: 1) the presence of PCBs and 2) the public's right to know the truth has been breached by enforced secrecy.

from Associated Press, 03/18/08
Dioxin cleanup near Dow Chemical plant remains on slow track
"More than a century after Dow Chemical Co. began dumping dioxins into a river flowing past its mid-Michigan plant, the company and regulators are still debating how to cleanse a swath of waters and wetlands that now reaches 50 miles to Lake Huron. Dow acknowledges tainting the Tittabawassee and Saginaw rivers, their floodplains, portions of the city of Midland and Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay with dioxins -- chemical byproducts believed to cause cancer and damage reproductive and immune systems. But the company says it must finish measuring how much pollution exists -- and where -- before devising a cleanup plan. Government officials are pushing Dow to move faster, as some local residents forge ahead with a lawsuit against the chemical giant."
The ApocoDocs say:
So....how about now, Dow?

from Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, 03/22/08
FDA relied on industry studies to judge safety
"Ignoring hundreds of government and academic studies showing a chemical commonly found in plastic can be harmful to lab animals at low doses, the Food and Drug Administration determined the chemical was safe based on just two industry-funded studies that didn't find harm. In response to a congressional inquiry, Stephen Mason, the FDA's acting assistant commissioner for legislation, wrote in a letter that his agency's claim relied on two pivotal studies sponsored by the Society of the Plastics Industry, a subsidiary of the American Chemistry Council.
The ApocoDocs say:
Those foxes at the FDA are watching the henhouse while scratching each other's backs.

from Guardian (UK), 03/23/08
The Big Picture of Biome Breach
Rivers of dead fish, 100-acre rubbish dumps, smog-filled skies are these the worlds worst environmental black spots? Eight photos of how we're overwhelming the earth.
The ApocoDocs say:
Probably worth at least eight thousand words.

from Palm Beach Post, 03/25/08
Suit over limbless boy, 3, settled
"MIAMI The Florida produce company Ag-Mart has settled a civil suit with two former tomato pickers who claimed their son was born without arms and legs because of the misuse of dangerous pesticides in farm fields by the agricultural firm. The child, Carlos Candelario Herrera, known as "Carlitos," was born Dec. 17, 2004. His mother, Francisca Herrera, then 19, originally from Mexico, had worked in Ag-Mart fields in both South Florida and North Carolina during her pregnancy. She said in a deposition that on repeated occasions pesticides sprayed in adjacent Ag-Mart fields had drifted and reached her. She also said she was forced to work in freshly sprayed fields, that her hands absorbed the wet chemicals and that she had suffered sore throat, burning eyes and headaches. Other former employees backed her claims.
The ApocoDocs say:
Johnny got his gun, Carlos got his pesticides.

from Pittsfield Berkshire Eagle, 03/27/08
Plan would leave PCB risk
"KENT, Conn. General Electric's proposed cleanup of the Housatonic River would leave fish inedible in many stretches of the river, unsafe for human consumption because of high PCB levels. GE presented its cleanup proposal at a public meeting in the Town Hall here last night. Its plan covers the river south of where the east and west branches meet, just below the Fred Garner River Park on Pomeroy Avenue in Pittsfield. The company will hold another public session at 5:30 p.m. today at the Lee Middle and High School. Addressing an audience of about 40 people, GE representatives said its plan would strike a balance among removing PCBs from the ecosystem, protecting the environment from an invasive cleanup, and keeping costs low. But its predictions made clear that the enough PCBs would be left behind to present a health risk to some animals and to anyone who ate a steady diet of fish from some parts of the Housatonic.
The ApocoDocs say:
From the six viable alternatives, GE opted for the most half-assed solution possible. Way to put your imagination to work!

from BBC (UK), 03/27/08
Plastic and toxic magnetism
Studies suggest billions of microscopic plastic fragments drifting underwater are concentrating pollutants like DDT.... "We know that plastics in the marine environment will accumulate and concentrate toxic chemicals from the surrounding seawater and you can get concentrations several thousand times greater than in the surrounding water on the surface of the plastic."... According to Dr Thompson, the plastic particles "act as magnets for poisons in the ocean".... In a typical sample of sand, one-quarter of the total weight may be composed of plastic particles.... "The thing that's most worrisome about the plastic is its tenaciousness, its durability. It's not going to go away in my lifetime or my children's lifetimes.
The ApocoDocs say:
How can plastic be a magnet for toxins? We've heard of "animal magnetism," but
"synthetic magnetism"?

from The London Independent, 03/30/08
Mobile phones
"Mobile phones could kill far more people than smoking or asbestos, a study by an award-winning cancer expert has concluded. He says people should avoid using them wherever possible and that governments and the mobile phone industry must take "immediate steps" to reduce exposure to their radiation. The study, by Dr Vini Khurana, is the most devastating indictment yet published of the health risks. Earlier this year, the French government warned against the use of mobile phones, especially by children. Germany also advises its people to minimise handset use, and the European Environment Agency has called for exposures to be reduced."
The ApocoDocs say:
And, the second-hand effects of mobile phones are just as dangerous as second-hand effects of smoking: Listening to people talk on their cell phones is one of the most stressful experiences of all.

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