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What Are the Effects of Dumping Garbage Into the Sea?

Humans have been dumping garbage and other harmful materials into the Earth's oceans practically since the beginning of recorded history. Ocean dumping is a serious problem that affects humanity as well as marine life worldwide. There are many different materials that find their way into the sea, and while some may seem benign, they all continue to do serious damage to the planet.

  1. Plastics

    • It should go without saying that plastic is a boon to mankind. It's lightweight, durable, cheap to produce, and it can have many uses. Unfortunately, what makes the lives of people all over the world so much easier has proven to be deadly for wildlife. Fish get caught in discarded plastic nets and are unable to move or feed. Turtles suffocate in plastic bags that they mistake for jellyfish. Birds choke to death on plastic pellets that look like fish eggs. Plastic objects become like a minefield for wildlife, and since they are not biodegradable they can float around for years.

    Sewage

    • Sewage is often dumped along with garbage into the sea, but it can also come from sewer systems that drain into estuaries and, eventually, the ocean. Sewage is mainly composed of organic wastes from food, animals and humans. While some of this is organic and presumably safer than nonorganics, they still carry with them impurities that normally are not found in the world's water systems. Some of these impurities include dangerous microbes as well as chemicals from soaps and detergents that can be poisonous. Sewage dumping has resulted in areas where there is an overpopulation of microbes that take up much of the dissolved oxygen in the water and make it difficult for other life forms to thrive.

    Lead and Other Toxic Substances

    • Another major issue facing the Earth's oceans and wildlife is the introduction of highly toxic materials into the sea. These substances can be incredibly harmful to plants and animals. It's bad enough when any form of life is harmed by human beings carelessly dumping their waste into the sea, but when something lower on the food chain is poisoned, there's a good chance that whatever may eat it will be harmed as well. One particularly dangerous substance to make it into the sea is lead. Lead can do serious damage to the brain, kidneys and reproductive systems of animals, and it has been known to cause birth defects in humans.

    The Effect of Garbage Dumping on Humans

    • There is no doubt that dumping garbage into the sea can be harmful to the planet's ecosystem, but some people may not realize how harmful it can be to them. The economy in many parts of the world depends on the fishing industry, but that industry could be in danger if the fish population is compromised. Many fishermen believe that marine life all over the world is being killed off by ocean dumping, and as the remaining fish population is affected, seafood may become harmful for humans to eat. Swimmers can be affected as well. Medical waste dumped in the ocean might expose swimmers to serious diseases such as HIV and hepatitis.

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