COVID-19 Vaccine Production Could Demand 500,000 Shark Deaths
acid andy writes:
500,000 sharks may have to die in the fight against COVID-19
A nonprofit organization estimates about 500,000 deep-sea sharks may need to die to supply the world with a coronavirus vaccine when one proves safe and effective.
A shark's liver contains oil primarily made up of a compound called squalene, which can also be found in plants and humans. It's largely known as a moisturizing agent in cosmetics such as skin creams and lip balms, but squalene is also used in some adjuvants - common ingredients in vaccines that help create a stronger immune response.
The compound has been used in U.S. flu vaccines since 2016 and has an excellent safety record," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Squalene could also lower the amount of vaccine ingredients needed for each person, meaning more could be produced with less.
[...] Using sharks in COVID-19 vaccines is short-sighted, unpredictable, and unsustainable. There are better alternatives," Shark Allies wrote in an online petition with more than 13,000 signatures by Monday afternoon. From a conservation perspective, there is no doubt that the overexploitation of a key component of the marine environment will have dire consequences. On a practical level, using such a finite resource for a product that will have to be made for billions of people, continuously for years to come, is impractical."
About 3 million sharks are killed each year for their squalene, according to the nonprofit. Depending on the dosage, about 22,000 sharks could be killed to supply the U.S. with COVID-19 vaccines, although it's unlikely every American will receive one.
You have to wonder what the knock-on effects of removing such vast numbers of an apex predator from our marine food chains would be.
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