UK: White substance continues to wash up on several UK beaches sickening and killing dogs

[Emily]

http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Dog-...#axzz2icHSksml

Dog dies after eating sticky white substance washed up on beach
Wednesday, October 23, 2013

CMJoshBarri

UPDATE: Memebers of the public have been urged to avoid a sticky substance washed up on beaches in West Cornwall.

Public Health England (PHE) is working with Cornwall Council, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Environment Agency after a white waxy material has been found on a number of South West Cornish beaches.

...
Two members of the Land?s End coastguard rescue team were called to Pedn Vounder Beach near Porthcurno at the weekend following sightings.

Team manager Dave Jackson said: ?It had the consistency of very soft margarine and had a sickly smell of exhaust fumes and diesel.?

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has sent some of the substance for testing and is awaiting results...

Read more: http://www.cornishman.co.uk/Dog-dies...#ixzz2icJmF6iL
Follow us: @thisiscornwall on Twitter | thisiscornwall on Facebook

[mixin]

Re: UK: White substance washed up on several Cornwall beaches sickening dogs - 1 dead

Published Date: 2013-10-26 15:32:31
Subject: PRO/AH> Beach contaminant - UK (02): (England) canine alert
Archive Number: 20131026.2022620
BEACH CONTAMINANT - UK (02): (ENGLAND) CANINE ALERT
************************************************** *
A ProMED-mail post

http://www.promedmail.org

ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases

http://www.isid.org

Date: Thu 24 Oct 2013
Source: BBC [edited]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-24649650

The clear-up of a substance on Cornish beaches has begun after it was found to be palm oil, a contractor says. A dog that ate the substance died and several others became sick, according to vets.

Cory Environmental, which works for Cornwall Council, said it was removing the substance after it was identified as "safe to touch". Public Health England (PHE) said the substance was identified as a "non-harmful oil-based product".

PHE had warned people to avoid 11 west Cornwall beaches, although Cornwall Council did not close them.

Cornwall Council contractors Cory put up warning signs on the beaches affected by the substance, which was 1st seen on Sunday [20 Oct 2013] at Pedn Vounder beach and was described by witnesses as smelling like firelighters. [I think firelighters contain naphthalene. - Mod.TG]

Beaches affected included Praa Sands, Porthcurno and Penzance promenade. Cory said the clear-up was starting "straight away". PHE said the substance had been confirmed as a "non-toxic, degraded, edible oil or fat".

Dr Femi Oshin -- from PHE Devon, Cornwall and Somerset -- said: "It's reassuring that the substance has been found to be some kind of cooking oil. It has clearly turned rancid and that's why we've had reports of it smelling so bad.

"While not harmful to people, it's unpleasant, and we'd still advise people -- and dog owners with their pets -- to keep away from it, and allow the council's contractors to get on with taking it away and disposing of it."

PHE also warned it was possible the substance would affect other beaches over the forthcoming days. The substance was analysed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). Palm oil has a wide variety of uses and is found in food, soaps and shampoos and biofuels.

--
communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[This story has more twists and turns than a coiled up rope. First of all, rancid oil smells nasty but it is very distinguishable from firelighters, also known as naphthalene. So why are so many people reporting the chemical smell, not the rancid oil smell?

Also, since when does rancid oil kill dogs? Enough of the oil should make them sick with diarrhea, and maybe cause transient vomiting. I know of no property in palm oil that in and of itself should kill dogs, even if the oil is rancid.

The next thing I wonder is how the palm oil got loose. It is usually shipped in barrels. The photo on the original website, and this one also, looks like a patty of salt or foamy flotsam. So how did palm oil get out of its shipping container? When did this spill occur? Where did it occur? And why doesn't it look like normal oily water as we have seen in other oil spills? Even in the salt water of the ocean, I cannot see how oil would look like a salt patty. While enough salt can be toxic to animals, I fail to see how palm oil in salt water would kill animals, or look like what is in the photo.

So I would like to ask the company that is cleaning the beach: what is this substance really? It is safe to touch, but it kills dogs, so warning signs have to be put up.

There is something just not right about all of this. Maybe someone should collect some of these white patty-looking things and have them analyzed at a private laboratory.

http://beta.promedmail.org/direct.php?id=20131026.2022620

[Emily]

Re: UK: White substance washed up on several Cornwall beaches sickening dogs - 1 dead

Some people think that a sudden intake of a large amount of fat, let alone rancid fat, can trigger acute pancreatitis in susceptible dogs. They go downhill quickly and can die without intense ER care, or even with the best care. (Bills run in the thousands, I think.)

This is very unusual to be seen in a cluster like this, (if that is what it is), since not all dogs are susceptible to pancreatitis:

http://www.vetmed.vt.edu/education/Curriculum/VM8304/vet%20pathology/CASES/FAT%20NECROSIS%20PANCREATITIS.htm

Toxins are something screened for when a dog has pancreatitis:

http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_canine_pancreatitis.html

So I hope this gets investigated further and anti-dumping laws are strengthened and enforced. A yellow fatty substance washed up after the white substance in the same area:

http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Stic...#axzz2jLLOXORP

Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Profile image for Cornish Guardian

Cornish Guardian
Follow

Read more: http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Stic...#ixzz2jQROAQMt

That was discovered by a dog walker, also. A Cornwall councillor said they are going to try to find out what ships are offshore.

[Emily]

Re: UK: White substance washed up on several Cornwall beaches sickening dogs - 1 dead

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti..._campaign=1490

Toxic waste killing dogs on beaches: Poisoned pets left writhing in agony by palm oil dumped at sea

Waxy white substance across UK coast suspected to be cleaning fluid
Cornwall practice has been treating one or two a day for three weeks
Cases date back to October, storms thought to be contributing factor

By Paul Harris

PUBLISHED: 18:22 EST, 2 March 2014 | UPDATED: 10:34 EST, 3 March 2014

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.u...ail/story.html

Tragedy as family dog dies after eating toxic material washed up on Devon beach

By Exeter Express and Echo | Posted: March 03, 2014

A DOG left fighting for his life after eating poisonous material washed up on a Devon beach has died.

Dave the lurcher Staffie cross was critically ill after eating toxic palm oil he found on Mothecombe beach during a family walk.

Vets battled to treat the liver and kidney damage caused by the white subtance, often discarded by ships at sea...


Read more: http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.u...#ixzz2vFu5Xh6f

[Emily]

Re: UK: White substance continues to wash up on several UK beaches sickening and killing dogs

http://www.fleetwoodtoday.co.uk/news...each-1-6494596

Dog owner warns of killer palm oil find on beach

Published on the 12 March 2014 20:54
A Fleetwood dog owner was shocked to discover that a substance he found on the beach turned out to be a toxic oil which can kill dogs.

...

The pale, chalky substance was first discovered on English soil in October last year in Cornwall, and was responsible for killing “a dog a day”, according to Cornwall County Council.

It has been reported a Singaporean-registered tanker was found guilty and fined &#163;22,500 for dumping a mixture of palm oil and cleaning fluid off Land’s End last year – leaving a slick 20 miles long.

If a dog is believed to have eaten the substance they should be taken to a vet within 30 minutes, experts say.

So the cleaning fluid might explain the toxicity. In the next article it seems the dog ate very little oil and got prompt treatment, but became very ill nevertheless.

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/new...on_Avon_Beach/

Dog owner’s warning after pet poisoned by palm oil washed up on Avon Beach

5:00am Wednesday 12th March 2014 in New

...
Andrew Doran, 52, was walking Tibetan terriers, Izzy and Yogi, both six, and Lillie, three, on Avon Beach, Christchurch, on Monday morning when Izzy started eating a small pebble-like item she found in the shingle and sand...

&#163;22,500 is a small fine for a crime like this. I wonder of food products are held in the tankers after use of a cleaning fluid like this?