A strange thing of artificial origin was raised from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean

The Atakama depression in Russian is often called the Chilean Trench. This narrow depression in the Pacific Ocean stretches for almost 2,700 kilometers along the western coast of South America along the border of two tectonic plates. The depth there in some places exceeds eight kilometers. Recall that the deepest place in the oceans is the Mariana Trench: up to 11 kilometers. This abyss is interesting to scientists, because there you can find something that you will not find anywhere else in the world.

Recently, researchers from Stockholm University loaded their equipment into the Chile Trench. As a result, from five different places with a depth of 7–8 kilometers, they raised a whole collection of samples of bottom sediments. So, when it turned out what they contained, scientists considered it necessary publish the whole statement.

It turned out that absolutely in each sample are hazardous substances are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). They are an oily liquid that was once used, for example, in transformers (does not conduct current) or in capacitors as a coolant (conducts heat well). It is curious that they were first synthesized back in 1929 by the infamous Monsanto company. On her story is an indelible stain agent “orange”: a poison that was sprayed on trees during the Vietnam War and from which many people died, many children were born disabled.

So, these polychlorinated biphenyls are another similar brainchild of the world industry, another big mistake of mankind. First, when ingested, they strongly suppress the immune system. This disease even has a name – “chemical AIDS”. Secondly, they are fraught with, among other things, a cancerous tumor, kidney failure, and in pregnant women, congenital pathology of children.

They entered the body with food. Firstly, they inevitably ended up in soil, water, and then farm animals drank this water. Secondly, they could be contained in rice oil. Finally, those working in the production of these substances were certainly at serious risk. In any case, everything that we do inevitably falls into the general cycle of everything and everything in nature. Therefore, in the 1970s, these biphenyls were banned around the world, and in the early 2000s they drew up a whole convention “On Persistent Organic Pollutants”, which obliges the signatory country to completely eliminate PCBs from itself by 2028. By the way, it is very curious: on the map below, the countries that adopted and signed the document are marked in green, the rest either did not ratify or did not sign.

But the most deplorable thing is that even with all the desire it is not entirely clear how now to rid the world of this muck. Scientists have found that approximately 60 percent of all polychlorinated biphenyls produced in the world went into the oceans. The fact is that these substances are poorly broken down. Meanwhile, in the ocean, along with water, they are safely sucked up by phytoplankton. Larger creatures actively feed on this phytoplankton – and so on down the chain. And when the marine inhabitants who swallowed this poison die in due time, their poisoned remains settle at the bottom and this diphenyl does not go anywhere from there. Half a century has passed since it was abandoned in industry, and animals in the ocean are still sick because of it: for example, half of all killer whales in the world have reproductive problems and generally poor viability.