Sharks Killed for Oil Used in Swine Flu Vaccine

Vaccines being made to protect people from swine flu may not be so healthy for threatened species of sharks.

That's because millions of doses of the pandemic H1N1/09 vaccine contain a substance called squalene, which is extracted from shark livers. (Get more swine flu facts.)

More commonly found in beauty products such as skin creams, squalene can be used to make an adjuvant, a compound that boosts the body's immune response.

The World Health Organization recommends adjuvant-based vaccines, because they allow drug makers to create doses that use less of the active component, increasing available supplies.

Olive oil, wheat germ oil, and rice bran oil also naturally contain squalene, albeit in smaller amounts. But for now squalene is primarily harvested from sharks caught by commercial fishers, especially deepwater species. (Related: "Tomato, Tobacco Plants Produce SARS Vaccine.")

"There are several very disturbing issues associated with use of shark-liver-oil squalene," said Mary O'Malley, co-founder of the volunteer-run advocacy group Shark Safe Network.

"The deepwater sharks targeted have extremely low reproductive rates, and many are threatened species."

For example, one supplier has dubbed the gulper shark the Rolls-Royce of squalene-producing sharks—but the gulper is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN's) Red List of Threatened Species, meaning the species faces a high risk of extinction.

Shark Oil Demand

Although vaccines containing squalene have not yet been approved for use in the U.S., they are being distributed elsewhere, including Europe and Canada.

Novartis, a drug company that produces swine flu vaccines containing shark squalene, did not answer requests for information about its squalene supply.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), another major swine-flu vaccine producer, announced in October that it had received orders for 440 million doses of vaccine containing adjuvant.

And the adjuvant in GSK's vaccines—which have been administered in 26 countries so far—contains shark-liver squalene, company spokesperson Clare Eldred confirmed in a statement.

GSK wouldn't reveal the name of its supplier or the annual quantity of shark squalene it buys. But Eldred told National Geographic News that the drug company takes about 10 percent of its supplier's total output.

O'Malley, of the Shark Safe Network, estimates that GSK's 440 million doses would require at least 9,700 pounds (4,400 kilograms) of shark oil, based on the stated squalene content of 10.69 milligrams in a dose.

This estimate, however, assumes zero waste and no refining of the squalene once it's been extracted from the sharks, O'Malley said.

Slow-Growing Sharks

Found at depths of between 984 and 4,921 feet (300 and 1,500 meters), the deep-sea sharks that produce squalene are most frequently caught via bottom trawling, either deliberately or as bycatch.

(Related: "Eight Million Sharks Killed Accidentally off Africa Yearly.")

"Bottom trawling is a horribly destructive fishing method that just bulldozes everything in its path and destroys enormous areas of the ocean floor," O'Malley said.

What's more, the already at-risk sharks are extremely slow growing and reproduce rarely.

A female gulper shark, for example, takes between 12 and 15 years to reach sexual maturity. A pregnant female gives birth to a single pup after a gestation period of about two years.

This means that the loss of a single female has a big impact on the population, said Hans Lassen, fisheries advisor for the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, an intergovernmental organization.

In 2006 the European Union imposed deep-sea shark fishing limits in the Northeast Atlantic, and the amount of shark squalene available on the market has since been reduced.

Still, some squalene suppliers are actively soliciting fishers for these sharks, the Shark Safe Network's O'Malley said.

For instance, France-based suppler Sophim lists the species it seeks on its Web site, along with an offer to evaluate samples from shark livers that "are thrown away because fishermen don't know that the liver has a value."

Shark Liver Alternatives

Some cosmetics firms have stopped using shark squalene or are phasing it out following pressure from conservation groups.

A shark-squalene alternative isn't yet an option for adjuvant vaccine makers, according to GSK's Eldred.

The drug company is currently looking at non-animal squalene sources, including olive oil.

But at the moment, she said, "we are unable to find an alternative of high enough grade."

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/091229-sharks-liver-oil-swine-flu-vaccine_2.html

VOLCANO PICTURES: Philippines' Mayon About to Blow?

Volcanic ash from Mayon Volcano streaks the skies over Legazpi, Philippines, on December 27, 2009.

The aircraft-unfriendly ash helped convince officials to establish a no-fly zone around the volcano on December 28.

"The worst-case scenario is that [a plane's] engine would suddenly stop from functioning while in the air," Philippine Air Force Col. Kit Caraga told the Manila Bulletin.
—Photograph by Ted Aljibe, AFP/Getty Images

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/12/photogalleries/091228-volcano-philippines-mount-mayon-pictures/photo5.html

Mayon shoots ash column, major eruption nears—Phivolcs

Mayon shoots ash column, major eruption nears—Phivolcs

By Rey M. Nasol
Inquirer Southern Luzon
First Posted 14:13:00 12/23/2009

Filed Under: Disasters (general), Mayon

LEGAZPI CITY – (UPDATE) Alert level 5 could be declared any time on Mayon Volcano but volcanologists are waiting for one important sign – a chocolate-colored mass of ash column shooting straight up into the air as high as 10-15 kilometers from the crater.

“Parameters are high until now and the intensifying activity might force us to raise the alert level to its highest level but it would happen only when Mayon shoots a straight ash column containing pyroclastic materials and molten, burning rocks as big as houses or buses from its crater, accompanied by intense rumbling and jittering of the ground felt as far as this city,” said resident volcanologist Eduardo Laguerta.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has been verifying reports on the drying up of wells in the villages of Maninila, Mabalod, Masarawag in Guinobatan town, located along the western part of Mayon, and in Barangay (village) Buang, Tabaco City on the northeastern side.

He said a team of scientists would be fielded to verify the reports and find the cause as this was part of the physical observations similar to the uneasy behavior of animals confirmed in July when alert level 2 was raised.

Laguerta said an estimated 20 million cubic meters of ash and lava have reached the five-kilometer downslope while fine “irritating” ashes have reached as far as the town of Polangui but mainly affected the towns of Guinobatan and Camalig.

He clarified that in past eruptions Mayon deposited from at least 50 million cubic meters to as high as 150 million cubic meters of volcanic material depending on the intensity of the explosions.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said that during the past 24-hours, seismic activity remained high with a total of 1,059 volcanic earthquakes detected, many of which were at maximum deflection, while harmonic tremors were still continuously being recorded.

The sulfur dioxide emission rate remained elevated and was measured at an average of 6,737 tons per day from Tuesday to early morning Wednesday.

During cloud breaks, a total of 66 ash explosions were observed and the maximum height attained was about one kilometer at 4:21 p.m. on Tuesday, the Phivolcs added.

Audible booming and rumbling sounds were still intermittently heard as red hot lava continued to flow down along the Bonga-Buyuan, Miisi, and Lidong gullies.

The lava front has reached about five kms downslope from the summit along the Bonga-Buyuan gully, said Phivolcs.

Phivolcs reiterated that the extended danger zone from the summit or eight kms on the southern sector of the volcano and seven kms on the northern sector should be free from human activity.

The Philippine Army and Philippine National Police Task Force Mayon have been conducting a census of the population who kept on coming back to their houses despite the very abnormal condition of the volcano.

As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, a total of 47,137 persons belonging to 9,880 families from 32 villages are currently in evacuation centers, said Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina, Philippine National Police spokesman.

Affected towns and cities include Camalig, Daraga, Legazpi City, Tabaco City, Malilipot, Sto. Domingo, Ligao City and Guinobatan, all of Albay.

"Eruption [is] possible within days," Espina said.

He added that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was expected to visit the evacuees this afternoon.

For 42-year-old taxi operator Narciso Marama, Mayon's rumblings have been both a blessing and a curse. Mayon has for years attracted tourists to the province, but it has also caused misery for his family.

"They may have snowfall in other parts of the world, but here, we have ash fall," the father of four told Agence France-Presse. "It's a white Christmas for us too, but this is ash, and we have to wear face masks."

He said relatives from inside the no-go zone have joined tens of thousands in temporary shelters. His own family however remains just on the edge of the danger zone, and have not been moved.

"But if there is a huge eruption, we may also be forced to leave," he said. "I can still remember the devastation three years ago."

When Mayon last erupted in 2006 it oozed lava and vented steam and ash for two months. No one died directly from the eruption, but a powerful typhoon three months later dislodged tons of debris that had collected on its slopes, burying entire towns and killing over 1,000 people.

Marama's house was among those crushed in the mudslide, but no family members were killed.

"We lost everything we owned and had to rebuild from scratch," Marama said. "I still have nightmares from that incident. I am praying that no one is killed this time."

Provincial governor Joey Salceda said resources were fast being strained and declared the area "open season for aid."

"They [aid agencies] don't need to come to my office to deliver aid anymore, they can go direct to the center," he said.

Initial deliveries of food, blankets, medicines, water, face masks and toys and school supplies for the children have been distributed, and local policemen with Santa hats have been trying to cheer the crowd with carols.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/regions/view/20091223-243624/Mayon-shoots-ash-column-major-eruption-nearsPhivolcs