Study finds endocrine disruptors in bottlenose dolphins

A new study has found that bottlenose dolphins in Florida’s Sarasota Bay have been exposed to a chemical compounds used in a range of cleaning products, cosmetics, plastics and other products. The study, published in the American Geophysical Union’s journal GeoHealth, found these compounds, called phthalates, in 71 percent of dolphins tested in 2016 and 2017. “Some phthalates have been linked to hormonal, metabolic and reproductive problems in humans, including low sperm count and abnormal development of reproductive organs,” the AGU reports. “The study’s authors do not know what health impacts phthalate compounds may have on dolphins, but the presence of byproducts of the chemicals in the animals’ urine indicates they have remained in the body long enough to process them.”

Read the story on the AGU website, or find the study here.