Ecological study on proposed Elbe dredging

Marine Pollution Bulletin culturally and potentially economically important to them, and their climates are relatively similar, except that the Faeroe Islands have stronger winds. The Falkland Islands are relatively low lying, with a complex array of inlets even on exposed coasts. The grasslands and scrub are home to a number of interesting bird species, both resident and migratory. It is, however, along the coasts that key wildlife interests lie with five species of penguins, albatross and four seal species, including the huge elephant seals, being present and in many cases also breeding there. Offshore, the all important fisheries are primarily for squid, although white fish such as blue whiting and hake are also taken. The landscape of the Faeroe Islands is particularly spectacular with high cliffs and steep mountains rising straight out of the sea. The coastal habitats are, therefore, mostly similar being rocky and exposed to the usually rough seas. Consequently, the Islands are less rich in wildlife than their southern neighbours, with seabirds such as puffins, guillemots, razorbills, fulmars, gulls and skuas being the dominant species. Offshore, fisheries are focused upon white fish such as cod, haddock etc. but the more novel deep-water species are now also becoming important. A curious feature, that again bonds both the Island groups, is the generally positive attitude that greets the potential onset of oil exploration. Given the impassioned campaigns that always seem to be linked to oil developments in Europe and America these days, it is interesting to see the response from communities who have a real economic interest in successful and safe oil and gas activity. GARETH DAVIES

Ecological Study on Proposed Elbe Dredging The necessity for deepening the River Elbe to permit container vessel access to Hamburg Port is being challenged by environmentalists. Opposition to the proposed scheme has come mainly from the Green Party which is a junior coalition party in the German State of Schleswig-Holstein and opposition party in the State of Hamburg. Both these States, plus Lower Saxony have to agree to the plan for the Elbe Project to go ahead. Costs for the dredging of the Elbe's navigable channel are estimated at around Dm 200 million and the project will make the port navigable for container ships up to a draught of 12.8 million at all times of the tide. While opposition groups do not necessarily want to see the port lose out competitively to Rotterdam they question the necessity for expensive deepening and the resulting environmental effects and they are also sceptical about the estimated additional number of large ships which should be able to use the port. However, opposition politicians indicated that their agreement to the dredging project will depend on the conclusions of an 586

ecological study which is due to be completed later in the year. On related matters the Environmental Minister for Schleswig-Holstein has proposed the reintroduction of free-of-charge waste management at German ports as there has been a great decrease in vessels requesting safe disposal of bilge and oil residues since Hamburg, and other ports, recently dropped their free schemes. It was believed that his change of policy was connected to reports of recurrent oil slicks on North Sea shorelines this summer. HAMISH MAIR

Oestrogenic Threat From Chemical Cocktails According to a recent report in the journal Science, American researchers have demonstrated recently that the oestrogenic properties of some industrial chemicals may be up to 1600 times more potent than previously thought. Laboratory experiments show that, although certain industrial chemicals produce only a weak oestrogenic effect when tested individually, when tested in combination with other weakly oestrogenic chemicals, a far stronger response is evident. Over the past few years, concern has been raised over exposure to a range of man-made chemicals and natural substances which are capable of mimicking or inhibiting hormones. The list of chemicals alleged to interfere with sex hormones is now vast, and includes ubiquitous industrial chemicals and products of petrol combustion such as polycyclic aromatics (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenols (PCBs), and dioxins: phthalates which are added as plasticizers in plastics and used as ingredients in paints, inks and adhesives; alkyl phenolic substances which are breakdown products of common surfactants; and organochlorine pesticides such as DDT, aldrin and dieldrin. Animal experiments have yielded strong evidence that some of the chemicals in this list can disrupt reproductive systems in wildlife, and a causal link between exposure to environmental oestrogens and reproductive problems in humans is suspected. Laboratory tests have shown some of these environmental oestrogens to be much less powerful than their natural counterparts, and this has been seized upon by industry as a defence against allegations of their products' harmful effects. The rationale behind such a stance would seem to be challenged by results from this recent in vitro study, which provides evidence of synergistic effects between pairs of weakly oestrogenic organochlorine pesticides. A mixture of dieldrin and endosulfan produced the strongest evidence of synergism, with a response 160 to 1600 times greater than the responses of the individual components. Interestingly, chlordane, which had no measurable oestrogenic activity, also significantly increased the potency of the other environmental chemicals. This raises the possibility that various chemicals not currently considered to be oestrogenic, may have the ability, nevertheless, to