Marine Pollution Effects Humanity
Ocean has become more polluted than ever in past century due unpleasant use of man made productions as you know that today common man-made pollutants that reach the ocean include pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, oil, sewage, plastics, and other solids. It occurs when harmful, or potentially harmful, effects result from the entry into the ocean of chemicals,
particles, industrial, agricultural, and residential waste, noise, or the spread of invasive organisms. Eighty percent of marine pollution comes from land. Many of these pollutants collect at the ocean’s depths, where they are consumed by small marine organisms and introduced into the global food chain that cause many other health related problems to humanity
As per the recent study the cumulative amount of plastic produced since the mid-20th century is of the order of 5 billion tons, enough to wrap the Earth in a layer of plastic wrap. The amount projected by 2050, on current trends, is about 40 billion tons, which is enough to wrap 6 layers of plastic wrap around the planet. Plastics are estimated to represent between 60 and 80% of the total marine debris. Manufactured in abundance since the mid-20th century, most of the plastics that have been produced are still present in the environment.
Today these are most commonly found way how it gets polluted, Common items of marine litter in the sea include cigarette butts, crisp/sweet packets, cotton bud sticks, bags and bottles. Man-made items of debris are found in marine habitats throughout the world, from the poles to the equator, from shorelines and estuaries to remote areas of the high seas, and from the sea surface to the ocean floor. About 80% of marine litter comes from land-based sources (eg. through drains, sewage outfalls, industrial outfalls, direct littering) while 20% comes from marine-based activities such as illegal dumping and shipping for transport, tourism and fishing.
Human health can also be significantly influenced by marine litter in the form of physical damage, e.g. injury from debris such as broken glass or indirectly by chemicals, toxins or bacteria in the water. In addition, plastic particles have been found in a wide variety of species that we eat, such as bivalves (e.g. mussels), crustaceans (e.g. crabs) and fish. The risk of chemicals adhered to plastics transferring through the food web from marine organisms to humans has not yet been fully assessed and represents an important knowledge gap. Sea Change suggests that the best way we can all help is to minimize new litter entering the marine environment.
Pollution does not only affect marine life and their environment, it also affects mankind. If humans are exposed to these toxic chemicals for long periods of time, then this can result in dangerous health problems, which include hormonal issues, reproductive issues, and damage to our nervous systems and kidneys.
Let’s work together towards reducing the marine pollution and use the advanced technology for alternative recycle production and also established ocean cleaning methods for the existing waste that has been deposited in the ocean.
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