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Caffeine Level In Sea Causes Concern
DarkHand writes "Researchers at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU) have spent three years looking for trace remains of pharmaceuticals in drainage water and the sea near Tromsoe in northern Norway. The project has focused on 16 substances and a high concentration of caffeine was one of the surprising finds. Need a lift in the morning? Have a refreshing glass of seawater!"
Mmm code sharks...
Anywho... I'm not aware of any study ont he effect of caffine on sharks - or any sea life - but I'm sure it exists (Or will shortly!).
Every species reacts to chemicals in different ways. Hell, individuals of te same species react differently! I wouldn't automatically assume that caffine will have the same effect on sharks as it does on humans.
Good example? Chocolate. Cocoa is very poisonous to cats and dogs (Specifically, the chemical Theobromine). Most humans can eat it with no ill effects. Similar items include garlic, onions, and macadamia nuts.
Oddly, cows enjoy chocolate as well. Can't remember where I saw it, but I think there's a place in Australia that feeds their dairy cows "reject" (read: mangled but otherwise edible) candy, which they buy from a factory by the truckload. If I recall, sometimes the flavor can actually leech into the milk.
Moral of the story is: Caffine might not have any effect on sharks, or only for some species of shark, or it might be toxic. Who knows?
=Smidge=
The parent poster writes:
Every species reacts to chemicals in different ways.
And then he goes on to talk about chocolate as an example.
Here's a better example, IMHO: Spiders on Caffiene and Other Drugs
Reverse osmosis doesn't necessarily remove everything; the city of Santa Barbara, CA built a RO-based desalination plant in the early 90s, at a cost of roughly $40 million. When they fired up the plant (spring of 92, IIRC), the water it put out still tasted a bit of the sea, according to most observers.
However, during the plant's construction, the drought that had motivated the project had subsided. So after a few weeks of operational testing (i.e. none of its output went into the distribution system), the plant was mothballed. AFAIK, it's never been started up since.