If you want this blog to get up with great information:
Share & Follow us on facebook and be updated! http://www.facebook.com/shortcuttingblog
Share & Follow us on facebook and be updated! http://www.facebook.com/shortcuttingblog
There's no scarcity of beachcombers on
the Southwest coast of England this time of year. Usually, they're on
the lookout for jewel-like shards of sea glass washed smooth by the
ocean, or beautifully knotted bits of driftwood.
This spring, however, the beach's
treasures are obscured by thousands of dead birds. In just the last ten
days, over 1,500 dead seabirds glazed in a sticky, clear film have
washed ashore in Southwest England
"Sometimes the birds are just so covered
in the stuff you have to pry their little emaciated bodies off the
rocks," said Marc Smith, Marine Warden of Dorset Wildlife Trust. "And
then you have dead birds stuck to your gloves."
The culprit? Polyisobutylene, or PIB, a
kind of synthetic rubber developed in the 1940s. It is used in the
manufacturing of chewing gum, adhesive tape, and sealants.
It is currently perfectly legal for ships
to dump between 75 and 350 litres of PIB into the ocean when they wash
their tanks or clear ballast water. When PIB hits seawater it turns into
a waxy, glue-like slick, floating just beneath the surface.
