Oil Drilling Gives Cancer Risk to North Sea Fish -Study

Yahoo! ^ | Thu Nov 20, 2003 | Reuters

[Willie Green]

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use.

OSLO (Reuters) - Pollution from the oil platforms in the North Sea may be raising risks of cancer in fish, a Norwegian-led study showed on Thursday.

"Overall chemical contamination from the oil industry in the North Sea is very low, but in some fish there is a long-term effect on DNA that might in the worst case cause cancer," said Jarle Klungsoyr of Norway's Institute of Marine Research.

Klungsoyr, who led the survey of pollution with other Norwegian groups and Stockholm University, told Reuters that the experiments indicated that some oil-related chemicals might disrupt the DNA genetic makeup of cells.

He said any cancer risk would not be transferred to people or other fish if eaten. The scientists analyzed samples of cod, haddock, coalfish and herring from three different areas caught in 2002. "The fish is safe to eat," he said.

The WWF environmental group said that Norway should tighten emissions standards and ban future exploration for oil and gas in the Arctic Barents Sea, one of the world's main spawning grounds.

"Several types of fish, among them North Sea cod, are already severely depleted because of overfishing and other pollution," said Rasmus Hansson, general secretary of WWF Norway.

The WWF said the data showed that fish might be able to transfer genetic defects to their offspring.

But Klungsoyr said: "The chances of that are close to zero." He said that risks of genetic disturbances seemed to stem from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, a group of chemicals formed from incomplete burning of oil, gas or other organic substances.

Norwegian oil and gas group Norsk Hydro said fish stocks were not under threat from the offshore industry.

It said it had axed emissions of pollution into the sea in recent years but conceded that a Norwegian goal of zero emissions from 2005 would be hard to meet.

Genetic effects "have been found in laboratory experiments, but not around the installations on the Norwegian shelf. Even though there is a risk of damage to some individuals, we believe that emissions are not so large as to affect the whole stock," it said.

And Norsk Hydro said that Norway's oil industry accounted for just two percent of oil spilled in the North Sea. It said rivers brought in 59 percent of the total, followed by oil activities in other nations with 20 percent and shipping with seven percent.

[Lunatic Fringe]

Overall chemical contamination from the oil industry in the North Sea is very low, but in some fish there is a long-term effect on DNA that might in the worst case cause cancer

[Lunatic Fringe]

The WWF environmental group said that Norway should tighten emissions standards

I guess they smelled what the Rock was cooking....

[mollynme]

Not only that, but it has only been found in lab experiments & not in the fish around the oil fields.

[Poohbah]

Lots of weasel words.

These people obviously do settle for the lesser of two weasels.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

ping

[cksharks]

Eating 75lbs of sugar a day will (possibly) give you tooth decay a new study by cksharks has discovered.

[TheRedSoxWinThePennant]

just tell the WWF we will detonate a nuke underwater to give the fish radiation therapy

[AmericanVictory]

Does this mean we should return to the use of "natural" ++whale oil and dramatically increase whaling? Is that what the envirowackos want? We doubt it. These folks are reflexively against the modern world and progress, no wonder the enviroleftos identify with the likes of Bin Laden. Modern western world bad, 600's living in the desert and raiding and killing and pillaging everyone else not Wahabbi good.

[Dog Gone]

This has to be the most feeble attack on the oil industry ever.

Progress!

[Soliton]

charter a deep sea fishing trip out of louisiana and they take you out to the oil rigs where the fish use the rigs as reefs.

[farmfriend]

Rights, farms, environment ping.

Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

[shaggy eel]

,,, this assertion is kite flying. The reality is that you're still a lot more at risk from eating fresh water fish from Europe's waterways after the 1980s Chernobyl disaster.

[farmfriend]

Don't cloud the issue with facts. You know how I hate that!

[sergeantdave]

Prince Philip, co-founder with Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), told an interviewer that he hopes to be ``reincarnated as a deadly virus'' to help solve the ``population problem.''

[AmericanVictory]

Not only that,the shrimp and other life came back big time around the rigs, so now they're dumping other metal items to get more build up in wild life and slow down the destruction of the extreme south of the state.

[Consort]

How many fish are being laid off?

[E.G.C.]

BTTT!!!!!!

[PBRSTREETGANG]

[scouse]

These guys are sixty years too late. They should have told this to their NAZI allies during WWII when the German navy sank hundreds of ships carrying oil which not only polluted the oceans but also the poor crewmen who were forced into the water.