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The Effects of Toxic Waste on Aquatic Life

Toxic waste pollutes the sea,deforming and killing fish and wildlife. We still do not know the full extent of the damage toxic waste causes, but we do know that diesel oil and cyanide can wreak havoc, injuring, killing and mutating many species of fish and birds. Other by-products of toxic water include phytoplankton and mercury.

  1. Phytoplankton

    • Phytoplankton, caused by toxic waste, decreases oxygen in the water. Oxygen deprivation promotes premature or unnatural aquatic species migration, which creates an imbalance in the aquatic ecosystem. When the ecosystem loses its balance, a chain reaction of undesired effects, such as insufficient diet for some species and increased procreation of other species occurs.

    Mercury poisoning

    • Mercury is poisonous to aquatic life. Mercury contamination is a widespread problem now, rendering some fish dangerous for human consumption. If a person eats fish, or any type of aquatic life with a toxic level of mercury, he could suffer from mercury poisoning. This can cause tachycardia, hypertension and kidney dysfunction.

    Aquatic life extinction

    • Toxic waste affects aquatic ecosystem balance by causing wide spread death, deformation, and ultimately extinction. The major cause of an aquatic species' extinction is toxic waste pollution. Extinction results form the cutting off of the staple diet of certain species.

    Decrease of aquatic life's aesthetic value

    • It is frightening to imagine the possibility that fish, coral, and seabirds may someday exist only in photographs, rather than their natural habitat.

      If we do not impose strict guidelines to preserve nature and keep it free from pollution, our sea life will live only in our memory.

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