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When these materials find their ay into the ocean, marine organisms suffer toxic effects and seafood is often contaminated (“Ocean Pollution” 4). This is causing the marine life all around the world to get hurt by human activity. By doing this, fish are also affected and therefore people are too because we eat fish. A writer from the New York Times states, “Studies indicate that drinking water contaminants are linked to millions of instances of illness with the U. S. Every year” (Digging 1).
This shows that by contaminating our waters, we are in turn just hurting ourselves. And, it isn’t just happening in the United States. In “Water Pollution”, it states, “V’/eater pollution Sirens 2 is an international problem that doesn’t respect geopolitical borders. Water pollution passes through streams, rivers, and lakes before reaching the ocean” (“Water Pollution” 1). While one country is dumping chemicals into their rivers and lakes, other countries as well as the marine life are getting affected where those rivers and lakes go into the ocean.
It’s how pollution increases and ocean currents spread it worldwide. Another unwanted effect of water pollution is transportation, which is a biological process where there s an over-enrichment of nutrients that cause plant and algae growth, therefore depleting water of dissolved oxygen. This creates an oxygen poor environment that kills marine life (“Water Pollution” 1 The effects of this are lakes, ponds, and rivers that have no life because there is no more oxygen. It kills Off any life and makes an uninhabitable environment for marine life.
Water pollution is a problem increasing everywhere and needs to be stopped or reduced before it gets out of hand. Next, Water Pollution comes from a variety of places and things, but it’s mainly from plastics, dumping, oil spills and industrial waste. To begin with, there is pollution from ship groundings and oil spills. For example, the disaster that followed the explosion on the Departed Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico where 5 million barrels of crude oil spewed before it was shut down, killing at least 5,000 birds, turtles, and dolphins (Parker 1).
This disaster caused by human mistake, killed many animals and contaminated the Gulf, which leads out to the ocean. From there, the ocean currents carried it and many more species were affected. In “Water Pollution,” it states, “In October 201 0 a highly alkaline, red-colored, toxic sludge from a ruptured industrial reservoir flooded nearby towns and polluted small rivers on a path to the Danube River in Hungary’ (“Water Pollution” 2). Observers also reported that the river and feeder streams suffered massive ecological damage and a near total loss of aquatic life.
Industrial Sirens 3 companies accidentally and purposefully dump chemicals into lakes and rivers because it’s a cheap way to dispose of harmful substances. Consequently, people and animals get hurt, which can lead to sickness and death. In “Ocean Pollution,” it declares, “Toxins from pesticides, fertilizers, and other chemicals used on farms contaminate nearby rivers that flow into the ocean, which can cause extensive loss of marine life… ” (“Ocean Pollution” 2).
This is called run-off and when it rains, the chemicals go into bodies of water. This can cause extensive loss of marine life as well. Lastly, marine debris can pose a direct threat to some species, for example birds dying as a result of ingesting plastics. Also, sea turtles and seals may ingest plastic grocery bags, causing them to suffocate or starve (“Water Pollution” 2). Plastics take a long time to deteriorate, so they stay around for a long time. Many animals can mistake marine debris as food, and when ingested they suffer.
There are many more causes to water pollution, and if some of those aren’t stopped, the water will keep on getting contaminated and hurting life on earth. Lastly, solutions to water pollution include government involvement, using safer chemicals, and more recycling. First, a global ban on ocean dumping is not enough to stop it, and it will require all governments to have a workable Lana to reduce the amount of waste, and learn to make the waste dumped in the ocean less harmful (“Ocean Pollution” 6).
Governments have to get involved if they want to make the water people drink safer and to globally save marine life. Industrial companies need to use safer chemicals or process harmful chemicals into less dangerous substances before they dump anything into any body of water. Also, some chemicals such as agricultural chemicals and pesticides are so environments Ill dangerous that the government must control their use (Parker 2). Governments should regulate he chemicals, and Start making safer chemicals that are better for the environment.
For example, they should only Sirens 4 allow a certain amount of chemicals to a company, and have them depose of it properly before dumping. Also, farmers should use less harmful chemicals, and control the amount they use. Next, “Ocean Pollution” says, “Alternatives to ocean dumping include recycling, producing less wasteful products, saving energy, and changing the dangerous material into more benign waste” (“Ocean Pollution” 5). Recycling plastics will insure that less marine life ingest it and get harmed.
Producing less wasteful products may require more money, but it will keep the ocean and other bodies of water safe for future years. Saving energy is necessary because when CO goes in the air, and it rains, all that polluted water goes into the ocean and causes problems on a larger scale. Lastly, Parker writes, “… Many researchers in this area see reduction measures, such as plastic bag initiatives and government bans as important” (Parker 2). Stores all over the world should stop using plastic bags, and start using paper bags so it can be recycled and it wont pose a threat to urine life.