The Effects of Ocean Pollution on Marine Mammals

The impact of human pollution has finally reached every square mile of the Earth's ocean. In 2008, researchers found that human activity has reached every single squrare mile of the ocean, and severely affecting roughly 40 percent of the marine ecosystems. In result of this, marine mammals have suffered a dramatic increase in illness such as, nervous and digestive system problems, liver disease, contaminant-induced immunosuppression, endocrine system damage, reproductive malformations, and growth and development issues. The majority of scientists believe that these illnesses are being caused by toxic chemicals that humans release into the ocean. Marine mammals, who are on top of their food chain, are affected most by the toxic chemicals. This is because their food source, (smaller marine life), consume the toxic chemicals from their prey, and those animals consume the toxic chemicals from the ocean. Because of this, the organisms who are on top of their food chain tend to have the highest polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) levels. Some these organisms inclue the bottlenose dolphin, orca, Risso’s dolphin, harbor seal, beluga, Mediterranean monk seal, common dolphin, gray seal, and polar bear. These nine organisms have the highest PCB levels, and therefore being affected by the pollution more severely than others. How are these toxic chemicals released into the ocean? Environmental toxins are spread by wind, rain and currents. Thus, the toxic waste of one area, such as the United States and now Asia, where industrialized development and contamination are growing rapidly, become the toxic problems of the world. So this means that just because we are an industrialized country, we have to be very cautious about what makes its way into the ocean.

Toxic chemicals

Factory

Oil