Covid - 19 Puts Sharks In Danger

 The CoronaVirus Covid - 19 Vaccine Puts Sharks In Danger

COVID-19 vaccines are shark friendly but there is a chemical in some vaccines that endangers the animals. Here's what you need to know. Approximately 3 millionsharks are killed annually, strictly for a chemical intheir livers, called squalene. Squalene is a fatty substancethat helps the shark regulate its buoyancy at depth, but it's also used as an adjuvant or boosting agent in vaccines, reportedly boosting the immune system and making the vaccine more effective. According to National Geographic, the popular Pfizer and Modernavaccines are squalene-free, but at least five of the200 plus vaccine candidates utilize squalene in their formulations. Nearly half of the sharksused for squalene extraction are listed as vulnerable by the International Unionfor Conservation of Nature. Conservationists fear thatincreased demand for vaccines as well as the existingmarket for other products that use squalene, such assunscreen and skin cream, could make the sharks even more vulnerable than they already are. Stefanie Brendl, founder ofSharks Allie to Nat Geo said, "we're not saying thatvaccine trials should stop but if we keep viewingsharks as an easy solution and don't consider thealternatives that exist, then we'll just continue to use squalene as a template for vaccines." Approximately 1% of shark-sourced squalene goes into vaccines. Most squalene is used in skin creams, moisturizers, and sunscreens. It reportedly takesover 2,500 shark livers to extract approximatelyone metric ton of squalene. Some biotech companies are testing other sources of squalene, such as olives, rice bran, and sugarcane, but regulatory agenciessuch as the U.S. FDA have not approved plant-basedsqualene for use in vaccines.