Living on Earth: Sea Lion Seizures (One good reason not to dump urea in the oceans)

Sea Lion Seizures

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COOMBS: Domoic acid binds tightly to excitatory neurons, and causes a range of erratic behavior. As volunteer Lee Jackarel prepares a mesh net, he says sick sea lions are also extremely sensitive, and prone to over react when approached.

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COOMBS: Despite the creature's misery, Gulland says this sea lion is lucky. In many cases the debilitating seizures cause so much brain damage that the animal dies. This is why more than half of the rescues have to be put to sleep, and many more die unnoticed at sea. Again veterinarian Frances Gulland:

GULLAND: Currently in California it's probably the commonest form of disease in the animals we see, so I would say it's the most important threat. And interesting thing, or the reason to be concerned is it doesn't just cause seizures in adult animals, but it also crosses the placenta in pregnant females and can damage the developing fetus. So it can cause abortions and it can cause death of the newborn pup.…

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KUDELA: It grows at about the same rate whether we give it nitrate or ammonium or urea, all of which are just sources of nitrogen, but when we grow it on urea, even though it's growing at the same rate, it's producing twice as much toxin.

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