Deaths-head Jester

About:
[The Project]
[The ApocaDocs]
[Equal Share]
The Six Scenarios:
[Species Collapse]
[Infectious Disease]
[Climate Chaos]
[Resource Depletion]
[Biology Breach]
[Recovery]
Explore:

Play:

It's weekly, funny, and free!

SEARCH

More than 5,600 stories!

A great gift
for crisis deniers!


The ApocaDocs have a Book!
Humoring the Horror of the
Converging Emergencies
94 color pages
$24.99 now $15!
Or read FREE online!




Twitter




Ping this story
in social media:
del.icio.us
Digg
Newsvine
NowPublic
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon

Posted Fri Jan 8 2010: from Scientific American:
Monkeys Are Canaries in Lead Mine http://apocadocs.com/s.pl?1262971093
You've heard about the canary in the coal mine. And frogs as signals of environmental degradation. The latest animal to serve as a harbinger of toxic exposures to humans may be: monkeys. That's according to research in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. Macaques live in close quarters with people in parts of Nepal. So scientists thought that the monkeys might be "sentinels" for human lead exposure. Lead can have multiple deleterious health effects, from impairing neurological development to kidney, liver, and circulatory and respiratory problems. The research team wanted to avoid stressing the animals, so they took a few strands of hair from individuals living around a temple in Katmandu. It's in a densely populated area that contains old lead batteries, flaking lead-based paint, and lead-contaminated soil, a by-product of leaded gas. Lead levels varied in the macaques, but the highest concentrations were in the young -- like human children, young macaques tend to pick up objects and stick them in their mouths. Scientists say they'll next try to nail down whether macaque lead levels are indeed predictive of lead poisoning in humans. The hope is that monitoring macaque lead can improve conditions for humans and monkeys alike.
[Read more stories about: canary in coal mine, heavy metals]

New!:
No reader quips yet -- be the first!

Got a PaniQuip?

Your Quip (limit 140 characters, no links, just wit):

First name:

The text shown in the Web image to the right:


We reserve the right to reuse, remove, or refuse any entry.

'Doc Michael says:
You trying to make a monkey outta me?

NEXT>
More stories:
  • After review of mountaintop mining, scientists urge ending it
  • Oceans release DDT from decades ago
  • (Monkeys Are Canaries in Lead Mine)
  • Seabird decline is a disturbing trend
  • Icecapped roof of world turns to desert

  • Want to explore more?
    Try the PaniCloud!
    Copyright 2010 The Apocadocs.com