Military Exercises Killing Whales
Dead whales have been turning up on the beaches in Maine. Some of them are rarely seen in this area, and no one can figure out what killed them. Now scientists think sonar is giving whales the same kind of “bends” that deep sea divers get.
“The only way we can explain these findings is that it is a condition very similar to decompression sickness in humans,” says marine specialist Paul Jepson. “Sonar may cause a disease like the bends.” Underwater sonar is used by the military to detect submarines. Patricia Reaney writes that researchers have found bubbles in the tissue of stranded whales and dolphins that are similar to the effects of decompression sickness (DCS) in humans.
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