Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 21 november 2018

Dead whale had 115 plastic cups, 2 flip-flops in its stomach

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) —
A dead whale that washed
ashore in eastern Indonesia
had a large lump of plastic
waste in its stomach, in-
cluding drinking cups and
flip-flops, a park official said
Tuesday, causing concern
among environmentalists
and government officials in
one of the world’s largest
plastic polluting countries.
Rescuers from Wakatobi
National Park found the rot-
ting carcass of the 9.5-me-
ter (31-foot) sperm whale
late Monday near the park
in Southeast Sulawesi prov-
ince after receiving a re-
port from environmentalists
that villagers had surround-
ed the dead whale and
were beginning to butcher
the rotting carcass, park
chief Heri Santoso said.
Santoso said researchers In this undated photo released by Akademi Komunitas Kelautan dan Perikanan Wakatobi (Wakatobi Marine and Fisheries
from wildlife conservation Community Academy or AKKP Wakatobi), researchers remove plastic waste from the stomach of a beached whale at Wakatobi
group WWF and the park’s National Park in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia.
conservation academy Associated Press
found about 5.9 kilograms a year, of which 1.29 million ment target of reducing “This big ambition can be waste is a common en-
(13 pounds) of plastic tons ends up in the ocean, plastic use by 70 percent achieved if people learn emy,” he told The Associ-
waste in the animal’s stom- the study said. by 2025. to understand that plastic ated Press.q
ach containing 115 plastic Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan,
coordinating
plastic bags, 2 flip-flops, a minister of maritime affairs, Americans, Canadians are warned:
cups, four plastic bottles, 25 Indonesia’s
nylon sack and more than said the whale’s discovery
1,000 other assorted pieces should raise public aware- Don’t eat romaine lettuce
of plastic. “Although we ness about the need to re-
have not been able to de- duce plastic use, and had By CANDICE CHOI, AP Food any romaine they have at of that outbreak, which
duce the cause of death, spurred the government to & Health Writer home. sickened about 200 people
the facts that we see are take tougher measures to NEW YORK (AP) — Health The contaminated lettuce and killed five.
truly awful,” said Dwi Su- protect the ocean. officials in the U.S. and is likely still on the market, The FDA’s blanket warning
prapti, a marine species “I’m so sad to hear this,” Canada told people on Gottlieb told The Associ- in the current outbreak is
conservation coordinator said Pandjaitan, who re- Tuesday to stop eating ro- ated Press in a phone inter- broader and more direct
at WWF Indonesia. cently has campaigned maine lettuce because of view. than the ones issued in the
She said it was not possible for less use of plastic. “It is a new E. coli outbreak. He said FDA wanted to is- earlier outbreak, said Rob-
to determine if the plastic possible that many other The U.S. Food and Drug Ad- sue a warning before peo- ert Whitaker, chief science
had caused the whale’s marine animals are also ministration said it is work- ple gathered for Thanksgiv- officer for the Produce
death because of the ani- contaminated with plastic ing with officials in Canada ing meals, where the po- Marketing Association.
mal’s advanced state of waste and this is very dan- on the outbreak, which has tential for exposure could In the earlier outbreak, the
decay. Indonesia, an ar- gerous for our lives.” sickened 32 people in 11 increase. warnings about romaine
chipelago of 260 million He said the government is states and 18 people in the “We did feel some pres- from Yuma might have
people, is the world’s sec- making efforts to reduce Canadian provinces of On- sure to draw conclusions been confusing, he said.
ond-largest plastic polluter the use of plastic, including tario and Quebec. as quickly as we could,” he Whitaker said the industry
after China, according to a urging shops not to provide The strain identified is dif- said. group told members they
study published in the jour- plastic bags for customers ferent than the one linked In Canada, officials issued should cooperate with the
nal Science in January. It and teaching about the to romaine earlier this year similar warnings to the two FDA and stop supplying ro-
produces 3.2 million tons of problem in schools nation- but appears similar to last provinces where people maine lettuce, especially
mismanaged plastic waste wide to meet a govern- year’s outbreak linked to were sickened. They said since people have been
leafy greens. there was no evidence to told to stop buying and
FDA Commissioner Scott suggest people in other eating it.
Gottlieb said the agency parts of the country had No deaths have been re-
doesn’t have enough infor- been affected. ported in the current out-
mation to ask suppliers for Most romaine sold this time break, but 13 people in
a recall, but he suggested of year is grown in Califor- the U.S. and six in Canada
that supermarkets and res- nia, Gottlieb said. The ro- have been hospitalized.
taurants should withdraw maine lettuce linked to the The last reported U.S. ill-
romaine until the source of E. coli outbreak earlier this ness was on Oct. 31, while
the contamination can be year was from Yuma, Arizo- and the most recent illness
identified. People are also na. Tainted irrigation water in Canada was early this
being advised to throw out appeared to be the source month.q