The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has refuted suggestions that the recent string of whale deaths has links to oil drilling activities at the Jubilee Oil Field. Six whales have been washed ashore since Sunday September 1 in what some experts have suggested could be the result of poor environmental impact assessment before drilling activities began in December 2010. Deputy Public Affairs Director of the EPA, Angelina Mensah says death of whales is a global phenomenon. According to her, various reasons could be attributed to the washing ashore of dead whales other than oil exploration activities in the country. She revealed that on Thursday September 5, a whale was washed ashore in the United States, adding that "within the last four months, 10 whales were reported to have been washed ashore in various locations in the world". According to her, from February 2011 to September 2, 2013, 120 different whales have been reportedly washed ashore. She cited injury from predators and collision with marine vessels as possible causes of the death of whales recently. "And also when marine vessels are making noise, it doesn't only affect humans, but also affects the [marine] mammals, so they could be moving to where noise is and this can disorient them," she added. She said old age of the whales and climate change factors must also not be ruled out as possible causes of the recent phenomenon in the country.