SEE Researchers Reveal Toxic Screen Chemicals in Endangered Dolphins
Prof. Kenneth Leung (left) and Professor Henry He (Photo source: Courtesy of CityUHK)
A recent research study led by Prof. Kenneth Leung, BBS, JP, Prof. Henry He, and Prof. Lin Zhang of the School of Energy and Environment (SEE), City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), in collaboration with researchers from the Chinese Mainland, has uncovered alarming evidence that toxic chemicals used in everyday electronic displays are accumulating in the bodies and brains of endangered marine mammals.
Published in the leading international journal Environmental Science & Technology under the title “Liquid Crystal Monomers Released from LCD Displays Accumulate in Endangered Marine Cetaceans Triggering Health Concerns”, the study has attracted wide international media attention, highlighting its global environmental and public health significance.
Key Findings
The research detected liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), essential components of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) screens, in tissue samples from Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) and finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) collected from the South China Sea between 2007 and 2021. These chemicals were found in blubber, muscle, liver, kidney, and most critically, brain tissue. This provides the first evidence that LCMs can cross the blood-brain barrier in wild marine mammals.
Laboratory experiments using dolphin cell lines revealed that LCM exposure can cause DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, and impaired cell division. These cellular effects indicate potential risks to neurological and organ health, raising serious concerns about the long-term survival and wellbeing of these endangered species.
The study also analysed temporal trends in LCM accumulation. Analysis of porpoise blubber samples showed that LCM burdens correlated with shifts in global LCD production. This finding directly links industrial growth and consumer electronics to contamination in marine ecosystems, highlighting the impact of human activity on vulnerable marine mammals.
Collectively, these findings indicate that LCMs may pose risks to the nervous system and other vital organs of marine mammals, warranting further investigation into their toxicological effects and possible implications for human health. By bridging critical gaps among everyday electronics, LCM contamination, and marine conservation, the study highlights the need for urgent regulatory actions and improved e‑waste governance to mitigate ecological and public health risks.
LCMs pose threats to marine life and may also bioaccumulate along the food web. (Photo credit: Mr. Thomas Tue)
By bridging critical gaps among everyday electronics, LCM contamination, and marine conservation, the study highlights the urgent need for international collaboration to safeguard marine ecosystems. With Asia’s coastal waters home to endangered dolphin and porpoise populations, the findings underscore the importance of stronger environmental regulation and sustainable consumer practices.
Full research article: https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c17767.
Full CityUHK news release: https://www.cityu.edu.hk/en/media/news/2026/03/16/lcms-in-dolphins
