Comments on: A Tiny Mutation Makes Fish Immune to PCB Poisoning http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/10/31/heres-a-tiny-mutation-that-makes-fish-immune-to-pcb-poisoning/ 80beats is DISCOVER's news aggregator, weaving together the choicest tidbits from the best articles covering the day's most compelling topics. Thu, 24 May 2012 03:45:17 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jim Okun http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/10/31/heres-a-tiny-mutation-that-makes-fish-immune-to-pcb-poisoning/comment-page-1/#comment-2366569 Jim Okun Wed, 02 Nov 2011 17:39:41 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=33005#comment-2366569 Amos - Thank you for making the effort to locate the two citations. The first one actually addresses harm caused by DDT (and it metabolites DDE and DDD) and does not directly speak to harm to wildlife from PCBs, it only speculates on possible harm. The second is a laboratory study where fish were exposed to PCBs in an experimental setting; so this again does not document harm to wildlife. It is my general impression that PCBs have gotten a very bad reputation, but when you look at the science of how dangerous they really are, there is not much to support the exaggerated claims. PCBs just got lumped in to the highly dangerous category based on incomplete or erroneous scientific studies. Amos – Thank you for making the effort to locate the two citations. The first one actually addresses harm caused by DDT (and it metabolites DDE and DDD) and does not directly speak to harm to wildlife from PCBs, it only speculates on possible harm. The second is a laboratory study where fish were exposed to PCBs in an experimental setting; so this again does not document harm to wildlife.

It is my general impression that PCBs have gotten a very bad reputation, but when you look at the science of how dangerous they really are, there is not much to support the exaggerated claims. PCBs just got lumped in to the highly dangerous category based on incomplete or erroneous scientific studies.

]]> By: Amos Zeeberg (Discover Web Editor) http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/10/31/heres-a-tiny-mutation-that-makes-fish-immune-to-pcb-poisoning/comment-page-1/#comment-2348853 Amos Zeeberg (Discover Web Editor) Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:41:47 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=33005#comment-2348853 @Jim: We can't put in scientific references to everything in every article---it'd take too long and make the articles unwieldy. But since you asked, I just did a quick search for articles on PCBs and fish mortality. Here are a couple results: Great Lakes embryo mortality, edema, and deformities syndrome (GLEMEDS) in colonial fish-eating birds: similarity to chick-edema disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1875430 Egg mortality of lake geneva charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.) contaminated by PCB and DDT derivatives http://www.springerlink.com/content/x450033740223j20/ @Jim: We can’t put in scientific references to everything in every article—it’d take too long and make the articles unwieldy. But since you asked, I just did a quick search for articles on PCBs and fish mortality. Here are a couple results:

Great Lakes embryo mortality, edema, and deformities syndrome (GLEMEDS) in colonial fish-eating birds: similarity to chick-edema disease.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1875430

Egg mortality of lake geneva charr (Salvelinus alpinus L.) contaminated by PCB and DDT derivatives
http://www.springerlink.com/content/x450033740223j20/

]]> By: Sam http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/10/31/heres-a-tiny-mutation-that-makes-fish-immune-to-pcb-poisoning/comment-page-1/#comment-2348543 Sam Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:05:48 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=33005#comment-2348543 This reminds me of when we tried to eliminate malaria, the mosquito reproduced so quickly that it only took one to save the entire race. when you think about evolution it is pretty clever (or should I say lucky) it uses a brute force method for survival and this is exactly why its so effective and I suppose... why we're still around today. This reminds me of when we tried to eliminate malaria, the mosquito reproduced so quickly that it only took one to save the entire race. when you think about evolution it is pretty clever (or should I say lucky) it uses a brute force method for survival and this is exactly why its so effective and I suppose… why we’re still around today.

]]> By: Jim Okun http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/10/31/heres-a-tiny-mutation-that-makes-fish-immune-to-pcb-poisoning/comment-page-1/#comment-2348529 Jim Okun Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:04:29 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/?p=33005#comment-2348529 Could you please provide a citation to a scientific study that supports your statement that "plenty of wildlife died from ingesting PCBs"? Since Discover presents itself as a scientific based magazine, supporting your claims should be part of writing up articles. Thanks. Could you please provide a citation to a scientific study that supports your statement that “plenty of wildlife died from ingesting PCBs”? Since Discover presents itself as a scientific based magazine, supporting your claims should be part of writing up articles.
Thanks.

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