Lesson 5

Student Activity #1

Bioaccumulation in the killer whales populations of British Columbia indicates the following:

• The repercussions of not exercising precaution (not testing materials prior to their use in the environment).
• That we humans have incredible intelligence and imagination in what we are able to invent but we have a history of acting without considering other living things.
• How all living things are connected.
• That the chemicals we use (especially the persistent ones) can impact other living things.
• The repercussions of buying more than we really need (consumerism).    If we use less, reuse and recycle products, we would reduce the amount chemicals that end up in the environment.
• The repercussions of a large global human population.  Lots of people creating a lot of chemical waste.
• The reality of the need for global oceans management and environmental policy since the killer whales are building up toxins of global origin.
• The state of the marine ecosystem.  As the top of the food chain, killer whales indicate what is happening throughout the marine ecosystem.
• Need for concern about toxins in humans too as we have the same position in the food chain.  As mammals, we too download these toxins from mother to baby.
• That we have not learned our lesson from past persistent toxins since most chemicals are still not tested and PBDEs are now being released into the environment.