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Specially trained detection dog helps find PCBs
Japser, a specialized detection dog, is leading his handler Julianne Ubigau. Typically, they’d be working with Seattle Public Utilities to help find polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) a chemical that can be harmful to both humans and wildlife.
SEATTLE - As Jasper, a black Labrador retriever, bounds through a waterfront park near the University of Washington campus it’s hard not to take notice.
Japser, a specialized detection dog, is leading his handler Julianne Ubigau. Typically, they’d be working with Seattle Public Utilities to help find polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) a chemical that can be harmful to both humans and wildlife.
Today, Jasper is taking part in a demo for Salish Sea Sciences – a program that brings high school students from all backgrounds together with scientists to learn how to protect the Salish Sea.
"Youth are asking to be involved," said Lindsay Holladay Van Damme, a program developer at Foundry10 – an education research organization that’s teaming up with Salish Sea Sciences. "They want to be part of our solutions. So, when you see there are so many different ways to get involved it’s a beautiful invitation for us all to be part of the solution."
Monsanto to pay $95 million over PCB pollution in Washington state
The agrochemical giant Monsanto has agreed to pay Washington state $95 million to settle a lawsuit that blamed it for pervasive pollution from PCBs — toxic industrial chemicals that have accumulated in plants, fish and people around the globe for decades.
Jasper "hits" on a scent – bringing Ubigau to an area covered in shrubs. Despite the sample that Jasper was hunting being in a glass jar, hidden and high winds – Jasper was able to sniff out the sample.
The work is a good example of how scientists can use canines in real-world settings. Trained to track down PCBs, Jasper can help scientists find pollution sources.
Groups like Long Live the Kings have been paying close attention to PCBs because of the effect they can have on salmon, including immune deficiencies and reproductive problems. Since a number of salmon species are endangered, it’s a major concern for researchers that are trying to boost populations.
There are also concerns about the transfer of PCBs into other species up the food chain, both humans and Southern Resident killer whales.