Researchers sampled over 70 seafood species in Pacific waters and discovered the presence of plastic and textile contaminants.

An investigation into the quality of fish in California and Indonesia has shown that prominent species in the seafood chain are contaminated with plastic and textile fibers.

Researchers analyzed the contents of two fish markets and found human-derived debris caused by differing waste management systems that could potentially harm consumers.

The Study

The study was able to discern the kinds of contaminants prominent in fish caught in different coasts along the Pacific Ocean.
Image: Vegan-Magazine

Researchers led by Chelsea Rochman at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine sampled a variety of fish species in Half Moon Bay and Princeton, California and in Makassar, Indonesia.

The California sample included 76 fish from 12 species along with one species of shellfish. In Indonesia, the researchers sampled 76 fish from 11 species. The fish were caught by regular fisherman in local waters.

Researchers dissected the fish species and analyzed the contents of their guts. The process of chemically dissolving tissue allowed them to uncover plastic and fiber debris inside the fish.

In the Indonesian sample, 55 percent of fish possessed human-derived debris, including Indian mackerel, shortfin scad and silver-stripe round herring. Of the fish sampled, 28 percent contained debris.

One fish had a total of 21 pieces of plastic in its guts, as plastic debris were most prominent in Indonesia’s fish.

In the sample taken in California, 67 percent of species had debris, including the pacific oyster, pacific anchovy, striped bass and Chinook salmon. About 25 percent of the fish sampled were affected.

Researchers noted a difference between the kinds of debris in each location, with American fish posessing mostly textiles pollutants compared to the plastic pollutants dominating Indonesian waters.

“I was very surprised to see such a difference in type of debris between locations,” Rochman said.

Causes Of Contamination

Textile fibers from washing machine wastewater was found in fish sold in the United States.
Image: Chemical & Engineering News

Each country has a different system used to dispose of waste. Researchers believe that these systems illustrate why fish species in certain areas contain different contaminants.

In Indonesia, the waste management system allows plastics to be thrown into the ocean. The United States has implemented a plastic recycling initiative, which accounts for the lack of plastic debris.

Fish near the California coast contain high levels of textile fibers, which could be attributed to the prevalence of washing machines. The discharge from washing machines is sent to wastewater treatment plants, where it could easily seep into the ocean.

“Fibres are a ubiquitous contaminant in the effluent from wastewater treatment plants due to their small size and abundance in the waste stream. They have been found in several marine habitats and animals,” Rochman said.

Consumption of textile and plastic fibers can cause a number of health concerns, but the extent remains unclear until more research is conducted. Rochman urges policymakers and citizens to protect the oceans in order to keep the problem from worsening.

The post Textile And Plastic Pollution Found Inside Pacific Seafood appeared first on Citizens Report.

In a historic move, California legislators have approved the state’s revised version of the heavily debated right-to-die bill.

Legislators in the state of California voted to allow terminally ill patients to end their lives after an emotional debate on Sept. 11.

The right-to-die bill passed in the Senate with a vote of 23-14 on the last day of the legislative session. The approval was influenced by the story of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old death for dignity advocate with terminal brain cancer who brought a renewed focus to medical aid-in-dying.

Voting Yes To Medial Aid-In-Dying

The decision was heavily influenced by the case of Brittany Maynard, an advocate who used her experience to speak out for other terminally ill patients wishing to medically end their lives.
Image: SodaHead

The original right-to-die bill passed in the Senate but didn’t make it through the entire legislative process. It has since been revised, with the altered version requiring approval from two doctors and the presence of two witnesses. The final stipulation is that the patient must be able to take the medication themselves after submitting multiple written requests.

After an initial failure to pass, the bill will now permit doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to patients. The case of Brittany Maynard is believed to have heavily influenced the legislative outcome.

Maynard was a California woman with terminal brain cancer who only had a few months left to live. She moved to Oregon from California after being denied the right to medically take her own life. Right-to-die medications are also permitted in Washington, Vermont and Montana.

The bill is extremely controversial. Those who argued for its approval believed it was important to assist terminally ill patients in avoiding a painful, drawn out death. Maynard’s relatives were present at the debate.

“Eliminate the needless pain and the long suffering of those who are dying,” urged Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis), one of the bill’s co-authors.

But the bills opponents worried that the law would leave too many unanswered questions. They predicted an increase in premature suicides.

“I’m not going to push the old or the weak out of this world, and I think that could be the unintended consequence of this legislation,” said Sen. Ted Gaines (R-Roseville).

An Uncertain Future

The bill may not make it to the final stages if Gov. Jerry Brown, a former Jesuit seminarian, refuses to sign it into law.

But a video testimony from Maynard, released by her husband a few weeks before her death, urges the government to make the law a permanent fixture in California. The testimony was played at the hearing.

“As elected officials, you have the power to make this happen,” Maynard said her video testimony. “Please take action. Every terminally ill American deserves the choice to die with dignity. Let the movement begin here, now. Access to this choice lies in your hands. Freedom from prolonged pain and suffering is a most basic human right. Please make death with dignity an American health care choice.”

The post Death With Dignity Approved In California appeared first on Citizens Report.

What’s the story?

Fracking is a controversial technique used to extract gas that was previously inaccessible. To “frack,” a highly pressurized fluid is pumped into the ground. That fluid frees gas that is trapped between rock. The process involves storing the fracking waste fluid underground.

Surprisingly or not, the government explicitly allowed for energy companies to inject their waste directly into aquifers. The government’s reasoning was that the aquifers they cleared for intentional pollution were “useless for drinking and farming because the waster was either of poor quality, or too deep underground to easily access,” reported the highly-informative ProPublic.org.

Don’t Panic

California’s oil and gas supervisor was quoted as saying that there has been no evidence that the state’s “drinking water has been affected.”

So What’s the Problem?

You may be asking what’s the problem then after reading that no drinking water has been contaminated, nor has any fracking waste been pumped into a useful well. There are many answers your potential question:

1. Vague Instructions

The original maps, indicating which aquifers were ok to pullute, literally had hand-drawn lines on them. The poor maps made it vague to decipher which aquifers were protected by environmental laws and which were extempted for pollution.

2. Incorrect Presumptions

With technological improvements, aquifers that were once too deep to pump could have become an important source of water in the future.

3. Leakage

Fracking waste has continually been pumped into the ground at pressures too high for their wells to constrain. Cracked well walls would allow for the waste to seep out and contaminate clean water.

Hope in Sight

Eleven oil and gas waste injection sites were recently emergency shut down by California state officials. Additionally, 100 waste injection sites have been scheduled for review.

The post California’s Undrinkable Water appeared first on Citizens Report.

“Your lawn may only be a small piece of land, but collectively, California lawns amount to many acres,” says Brian Leahy, director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.

By making sure that their landscapers are trained and licensed to apply pesticides “homeowners can play a significant role to reduce the amount of pesticide pollution from lawns that are entering our waters through storm drains,” says Leahy.

Under California law anyone who applies pesticides, even if it is only incidental to other maintenance gardening tasks, must have a maintenance gardening pest control business license from DPR and be registered with the local county agricultural commissioner’s office.

Not only will this protect California’s waters, but it will keep you, your family, and your pets healthy.

Check to see if your landscaper is licensed at the bottom of this page.

The post The Easy Way Californians Are Making A Difference appeared first on Citizens Report.