Researchers at Mount A are attracting international attention after finding that a common chemical could jeopardize the health of fish populations.
The researchers exposed fish to a compound widely used in industrial detergents, sewage treatment, the pulp and paper industry, and in agricultural pesticides. They found that, even at low levels, the chemical caused them to avoid each other rather than grouping together in schools or shoals.
It's troubling because schooling is a survival technique for fish, and the chemical - 4-nonylphenol - can be found just about everywhere, explained biology professor Suzie Currie, whose lab hosted the research.
She completed the study with recent graduate Jennifer Horsfall ('06) and former post-doctoral fellow Ashley Ward, who is now at the University of Sydney in Australia.
"The study was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B from Britain's Royal Society."
Read the full story:
Common chemical causing not-so fishy reaction
(Telegraph Journal)
Researchers find common chemical could harm fish
(Boston Globe)
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