Name: Muhammad Asif

Roll No. mcf 1701397

Assignment Topic: Effect of Toxic Waste on the

Marine Animals

Submitted to: Mam Uruj Shabir

Subject: Environmental Toxicology

Class: MSc Zoology 4th Semester (eve)

 i Introduction
Pollution iis idefined ias ithe iprocess iof iintroducing iharmful ior ipoisonous isubstances iinto ithe inatural

environment. iOcean ipollution iis itherefore idefined ias ithe iintroduction iof itoxic imaterials isuch ias
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plastic, ioil, ichemicals, iagricultural iwaste, iand iindustrial iwaste iinto ithe iocean iwaters. iThere ican ibe
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several icauses iof iocean ipollution, ibut ithe ileading icauses iinclude isewage, itoxic ichemicals ifrom
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industries, inuclear iwaste, ithermal ipollution, iplastics, iacid irain, iand ioil ispillage. ioccurs iwhen
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harmful ieffects iresult ifrom ithe ientry iinto ithe iocean iof ichemicals, iparticles, iindustrial, iagricultural
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and iresidential iwaste, inoise, ior ithe ispread iof iinvasive iorganisms. iEighty ipercent iof imarine
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pollution icomes ifrom iland. iAir ipollution iis ialso ia icontributing ifactor iby icarrying ioff ipesticides ior
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dirt iinto ithe iocean. iLand iand iair ipollution ihave iproven ito ibe iharmful ito imarine ilife iand iits ihabitats.
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[1]

When ipesticides iare iincorporated iinto ithe i ianoxic.

food iwebs. iOnce iin ithe ifood iwebs, ithese ipesticides ican icause imutations, ias iwell ias idiseases,

wmarine iecosystem, ithey iquickly ibecome iabsorbed iinto imarine iThe ipollution ioften icomes ifrom
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nonpoint isources isuch ias iagricultural irunoff, iwind-blown idebris, iand idust. iPollution iin ilarge
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bodies iof iwater ican ibe iaggravated iby iphysical iphenomena ilike ithe ibiological ieffects iof iLangmuir
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circulation. iNutrient ipollution, ia iform iof iwater ipollution, irefers ito icontamination iby iexcessive
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inputs iof inutrients. iIt iis ia iprimary icause iof ieutrophication iof isurface iwaters, iin iwhich iexcess
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nutrients, iusually initrates ior iphosphates, istimulate ialgae igrowth. iMany ipotentially itoxic ichemicals
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adhere ito itiny iparticles iwhich iare ithen itaken iup iby iplankton iand ibenthic ianimals, imost iof iwhich
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are ieither ideposit ifeeders ior ifilter ifeeders. iIn ithis iway, ithe itoxins iare iconcentrated iupward iwithin
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ocean ifood ichains. iMany iparticles icombine ichemically iin ia imanner ihighly idepletive iof ioxygen,
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causing iestuaries ito ibecome i ihich ican ibe iharmful ito ihumans ias iwell ias ithe ientire ifood iweb. iToxic
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metals ican ialso ibe iintroduced iinto imarine ifood iwebs. iThese ican icause ia ichange ito itissue imatter,
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biochemistry, ibehaviour, ireproduction, iand isuppress igrowth iin imarine ilife. iAlso, imany ianimal
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feeds ihave ia ihigh ifish imeal ior ifish ihydrolysate icontent. iIn ithis iway, imarine itoxins ican ibe
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transferred ito iland ianimals, iand iappear ilater iin imeat iand idairy iproducts.
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In iorder ito iprotect ithe iocean ifrom imarine ipollution, ipolicies ihave ibeen ideveloped iinternationally.

There iare idifferent iways ifor ithe iocean ito iget ipolluted, itherefore ithere ihave ibeen imultiple ilaws,
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policies, iand itreaties iput iinto iplace ithroughout ihistory.

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Sewage

Sewage iis idefined ias ithe iwastewater iand iits icomponent iexcrements ithat iare itransported iin ithe

sewer isystem. iSewage iis imostly icomprised iof ithe ihuman iwaste ifrom itoilet iflushing, idirty iwater
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from ibathing iand ieven ianimal iwaste. iMost iof ithe iwastes ifind itheir iway iinto ithe iocean iwaters
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through ithe isewer isystems. iSome iof ithe isubstances ithat iare iin ithe isewage iwaste iare iharmful iand
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contribute igreatly ito iocean ipollution. iThese isubstances imay icause iserious ihealth iproblems ito ithe
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aquatic icreatures ionce ithey iconsume ithem

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Industrial Chemicals
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Another imajor ipollutant iis ithe ichemicals ifrom iindustries iand ifrom ithe ifertilizers iand iother ifarm

products ithat iare icarried iby irun-off iwater iinto ithe iocean iwaters. iMany iindustries idump itheir iwaste
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materials iand ichemicals iinto ithe iocean iwaters. iThese ichemicals ipollute ithe iocean iby ialtering ithe
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pH ilevel iof ithe iwaters. iMost iaquatic iplants iand ianimals icannot isurvive iin iadverse ipH ilevels.
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Nuclear Wastei

Another imajor iocean ipollutant iis ithe inuclear iwaste, iwhich iis imostly iproduced ifrom iindustrial,

medical, iand ialso iscientific iprocedures ithat iuse iradioactive imaterial. iThe icommon iindustries ithat
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produce inuclear iwaste iinclude ipower istations, ithe imilitary, iand ithe ireprocessing iplants. iThis
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radiation ienters ithe ifood ichain ithrough ikelp iand iplankton, iand ionce ithe imarine ianimals iconsume
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these iplants, ithey ibecome icontaminated.

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Thermal Pollutioni

Thermal ipollution iis ithe ilowering iof iwater iquality iby iany imethod ithat itends ito ichange ithe iwater

temperature. iThermal ipollution ioccurs iwhen ipower iplants iand imanufacturing icompanies irelease
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hot iwater iinto ithe iwater istreams iand ioceans iand ithus icausing ia ichange iin itemperature iby iraising
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the itemperatures ihigher. iThe isudden ichange iin itemperature icauses ireduction iin ithe ioxygen isupply
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and ithis igreatly iaffects ithe iecosystem icomposition. iAquatic iplants iand iother iorganisms ithat iare
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adapted ito ia icertain itemperature irange iget ikilled iabruptly iby ithe isudden ichange iin itemperature iby
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a iprocess iknown ias ithermal ishock.

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Plastics
Plastic ipollution imainly iinvolves ithe iaccumulation iplastic iin ithe iocean iwaters iand ithus icausing

adverse ieffects ion imarine iorganisms. iMarine iorganisms iare iaffected iby ithe iplastics ithrough idirect
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ingestion iof ithe iplastic iwastes iand ialso ithrough iexposure ito ichemicals ithat iare iwithin ithe iplastics.
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Marine idebris iis imainly idiscarded ihuman irubbish iwhich ifloats ion, ior iis isuspended iin ithe iocean.

Eighty ipercent iof imarine idebris iis iplastic i– ia icomponent ithat ihas ibeen irapidly iaccumulating isince
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the iend iof iWorld iWar iII iThe imass iof iplastic iin ithe ioceans imay ibe ias ihigh ias i100,000,000 itonnes
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(98,000,000 ilong itons; i110,000,000 ishort itons) i

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In ia istudy ipublished iby iEnvironmental iScience i& iTechnology, iSchmidt iet ial. i(2017) icalculated

that ithe iYangtze, iIndus, iYellow iRiver, iHai iRiver, iNile, iGanges, iPearl iRiver, iAmur, iNiger, iand ithe
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Mekong i"transport i88–95% iof ithe iglobal i[plastics] iload iinto ithe isea. i
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Discarded iplastic ibags, isix ipack irings, icigarette ibutts iand iother iforms iof iplastic iwaste iwhich ifinish

up iin ithe iocean ipresent idangers ito iwildlife iand ifisheries. iAquatic ilife ican ibe ithreatened ithrough
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entanglement, isuffocation, iand iingestion. iFishing inets, iusually imade iof iplastic, ican ibe ileft ior ilost
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in ithe iocean iby ifishermen. iKnown ias ighost inets, ithese ientangle ifish, idolphins, isea iturtles, isharks,
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dugongs, icrocodiles, iseabirds, icrabs, iand iother icreatures, irestricting imovement, icausing
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starvation, ilaceration, iinfection, iand, iin ithose ithat ineed ito ireturn ito ithe isurface ito ibreathe,
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suffocation. i
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Acid Rain
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Acid irain iis inot ia imajor icause iof iocean ipollution, ibut iit ialso icontributes ito iwater ipollution.

Erupting ivolcanoes, ifossil ifuels, irotting ivegetation, iand initrogen ioxides iwhen ireleased iinto ithe
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atmosphere ireact iwith iwater iand iother isubstances iin ithe iair ito iform isulphuric iand initric iacid. iThe
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wind iblows ithese ichemicals iacross ithe iatmosphere, iand iwhen iit irains, ithese ichemicals ifind itheir
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way iinto ithe imarine iwaters. iAcid irain imakes iwater iacidic iand ithus idestroys ithe imarine ilife ias imost
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aquatic iorganisms icannot isurvive iin iacidic iconditions.

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Oil Spills
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Oil ispillage iis ianother iprimary icause iof iocean ipollution iin ithat ithe ioil iforms ia ilayer ion ithe iwater

preventing ioxygen icirculation. iLack iof ioxygen iin ithe iocean iwaters iresults iin ithe idestruction iof
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marine ilife iover ia ilong iperiod. iTherefore, iit iis inecessary ito iprevent ithese ipollutants ifrom ientering
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the ioceans ito iprotect ithe imarine ianimals iand iplants.

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How the could be prevented

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Chemical ipollution iis iharmful ito ihumans, ianimals iand ithe ienvironment. iAcid irain, iozone

depletion iand igreenhouse igases ican ibe ilimited iby itaking ithe inecessary isteps iin iyour iown
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household ito iprevent isuch ipollution. iNearly ieverything ihumans ido iaffects iair, iwater iand isoil
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quality. iThe igoal iof ipreventing ichemical ipollution ican ibe iachieved, ibut irequires ipublic ieducation,
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a ichange iin imindset iand ialteration iof ilong itime, iingrained ioperating iprocedures.
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Effect of Toxic Wastes on Marine Animals

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The ioil ispill iis idangerous ito imarine ilife iin iseveral iways. iThe ioil ispilled iin ithe iocean icould iget ion ito

the igills iand ifeathers iof imarine ianimals, iwhich imakes iit idifficult ifor ithem ito imove ior ifly iproperly
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or ifeed itheir ichildren. iThe ilong-term ieffect ion imarine ilife ican iinclude icancer, ifailure iin ithe
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reproductive isystem, ibehavioural ichanges, iand ieven ideath.

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Failure in the Reproductive System of Sea Animals

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Industrial iand iagricultural iwaste iinclude ivarious ipoisonous ichemicals ithat iare iconsidered

hazardous ifor imarine ilife. iChemicals ifrom ipesticides ican iaccumulate iin ithe ifatty itissue iof ianimals,
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leading ito ifailure iin itheir ireproductive isystem.

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Waste

Animals iand iorganisms imay ichoke iand isuffocate iform iwaste iproducts ilike iplastics ican iand imore i

Environmental effects i

Disruption to the Cycle of Coral Reefs

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Oil ispill ifloats ion ithe isurface iof ithe iwater iand iprevents isunlight ifrom ireaching ito imarine iplants iand

affects ithe iprocess iof iphotosynthesis. iSkin iirritation, ieye iirritation, ilung iand iliver iproblems ican
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impact imarine ilife iover ia ilong iperiod iof itime.

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Effect on Food Chain

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Chemicals iused iin iindustries iand iagriculture iget iwashed iinto ithe irivers iand ifrom ithere iare icarried

into ithe ioceans. iThese ichemicals ido inot iget idissolved iand isink iat ithe ibottom iof ithe iocean. iSmall
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animals iingest ithese ichemicals iand iare ilater ieaten iby ilarge ianimals, iwhich ithen iaffects ithe iwhole
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food ichain.
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Affects Human Health

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Animals ifrom iimpacted ifood ichains iare ithen ieaten iby ihumans iwhich iaffects itheir ihealth ias itoxins

from ithese icontaminated ianimals iget ideposited iin ithe itissues iof ipeople iand ican ilead ito icancer,
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birth idefects ior ilong iterm ihealth iproblems.

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n ihealth isuffers ifrom icontamination iof icoastal iwater: i250 imillion iof iclinical icases i(gastro-enteritis

+ irespiratory idiseases) iare icaused iannually iby ibathing iin icontaminated iwaters.
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One iin i20 iadults ibathing iin iwater ideemed iofficially i“acceptable” i(according ito icurrent imicrobial

standards) iwill ibecome iill iafter ia isingle imarine ibathing iexposure.

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Eating iinfected ishellfish icauses i50,000 ito i100,000 ideaths ievery iyear.
POPs i(Persistant iOrganic iPollutants) iconcentrate iin ithe ifood ichain i(shellfish, ifish, imarine

mammals). iMany iof ithe ifish ithat iis ia iprimary ifood isource ifor ithe iindigenous ipeople iin ithe
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Canadian iarctic iare iheavily icontaminated iby iPOPs. iHigh iconcentrations iof ipollutants ihave ibeen
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found iin ibreast imilk iof imothers. iIn iEast iGreenland, i100 iper icent iof ithe ipopulation ihas ilevels iof
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blood icontamination iof iconcern.

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The iglobal ieconomic icost irelated ito ipollution iof icoastal iwaters iis i$16 ibillion iannually, imuch iof

which iis idue ito ihuman ihealth iimpacts.

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Worldwide, i100,000 imarine imammals iand iturtles iare ikilled iannually iby iplastic ilitter. iAccording

to iestimates, i267 imarine ispecies ihave ibeen ireported ientangled iin ior ihaving iingested imarine
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debris.
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Harmful ialgal iblooms: ithe inumber iof ipoisonous ialgal ispecies iidentified iby iscientists ihas inearly

tripled isince i1984, iincreasing ifish ikills, ibeach iclosures, iand ieconomic ilosses.
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Repairing iboats idamaged iby imarine idebris iis iexpensive. iFixing ia ismall ident iin ia ilarge ivessel ican

take iup ito i2 idays, icosting ithe ishipping icompany i$100,000 ifor irepair iand iadditional i$30,000-
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40,000 iper iday iin ilost icarrying ifees.

Toxins

Apart ifrom iplastics, ithere iare iparticular iproblems iwith iother itoxins ithat ido inot idisintegrate irapidly

in ithe imarine ienvironment. iExamples iof ipersistent itoxins iare iPCBs, iDDT, iTBT, ipesticides,
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furans, idioxins, iphenols, iand iradioactive iwaste. iHeavy imetals iare imetallic ichemical ielements ithat
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have ia irelatively ihigh idensity iand iare itoxic ior ipoisonous iat ilow iconcentrations. iExamples iare
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mercury, ilead, inickel, iarsenic, iand icadmium. iSuch itoxins ican iaccumulate iin ithe itissues iof imany
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species iof iaquatic ilife iin ia iprocess icalled ibioaccumulation. iThey iare ialso iknown ito iaccumulate iin
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benthic ienvironments, isuch ias iestuaries iand ibay imuds: ia igeological irecord iof ihuman iactivities iof
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the ilast icentury

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Specific examples
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 Chinese iand iRussian iindustrial ipollution isuch ias iphenols iand iheavy imetals iin ithe iAmur

River ihave idevastated ifish istocks iand idamaged iits iestuary isoil i
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 Wabamun iLake iin iAlberta, iCanada, ionce ithe ibest iwhitefish ilake iin ithe iarea, inow ihas

unacceptable ilevels iof iheavy imetals iin iits isediment iand ifish.
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 Acute iand ichronic ipollution ievents ihave ibeen ishown ito iimpact isouthern iCalifornia ikelp

forests, ithough ithe iintensity iof ithe iimpact iseems ito idepend ion iboth ithe inature iof ithe
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contaminants iand iduration iof iexposure. i

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 Due ito itheir ihigh iposition iin ithe ifood ichain iand ithe isubsequent iaccumulation iof iheavy

metals ifrom itheir idiet, imercury ilevels ican ibe ihigh iin ilarger ispecies isuch ias ibluefin iand
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albacore. iAs ia iresult, iin iMarch i2004 ithe iUnited iStates iFDA iissued iguidelines irecommending
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that ipregnant iwomen, inursing imothers iand ichildren ilimit itheir iintake iof ituna iand iother itypes
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of ipredatory ifish i
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 Some ishellfish iand icrabs ican isurvive ipolluted ienvironments, iaccumulating iheavy imetals

or itoxins iin itheir itissues. iFor iexample, imitten icrabs ihave ia iremarkable iability ito isurvive iin
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highly imodified iaquatic ihabitats, iincluding ipolluted iwaters. iThe ifarming iand iharvesting iof
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such ispecies ineeds icareful imanagement iif ithey iare ito ibe iused ias ia ifood. i
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 Surface irunoff iof ipesticides ican ialter ithe igender iof ifish ispecies igenetically, itransforming

male iinto ifemale ifish. i

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 Heavy imetals ienter ithe ienvironment ithrough ioil ispills i– isuch ias ithe iPrestige ioil ispill ion ithe

Galician icoast iand iGulf iof iMexico iwhich iunleashed ian iestimated i3.19 imillion ibarrels iof ioil i–
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or ifrom iother inatural ior ianthropogenic isources.

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 In i2005, ithe i'Ndrangheta, ian iItalian imafia isyndicate, iwas iaccused iof isinking iat ileast i30

ships iloaded iwith itoxic iwaste, imuch iof iit iradioactive. iThis ihas iled ito iwidespread
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investigations iinto iradioactive iwaste idisposal irackets. i

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 Since ithe iend iof iWorld iWar iII, ivarious inations, iincluding ithe iSoviet iUnion, ithe iUnited

Kingdom, ithe iUnited iStates, iand iGermany, ihave idisposed iof ichemical iweapons iin ithe iBaltic
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Sea, iraising iconcerns iof ienvironmental icontamination. i

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 The iFukushima iDaiichi inuclear idisaster iin i2011 icaused iradioactive itoxins ifrom ithe

damaged ipower iplant ito ileak iinto ithe iair iand iocean. iThere iare istill imany iisotopes iin ithe iocean,
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which idirectly iaffects ithe ibenthic ifood iweb iand ialso iaffects ithe iwhole ifood ichain. iThe
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concentration iof i137Cs iin ithe ibottom isediment ithat iwas icontaminated iby iwater iwith ihigh
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concentrations iin iApril–May i2011 iremains iquite ihigh iand iis ishowing isigns iof ivery islow
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decrease iwith itime.

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References:

 Beverton iR.J.H. i& iHolt iS.J. i(1957) iOn ithe idynamics iof iexploited ifish ipopulations.

Ministry iof iAgriculture, iFisheries iand iFood, iLondon i(republished iby iChapman& iHall,
i

1993). i[The ibasis iof ipopulation idynamics.

i

 Gulland iJ.A. i(ed.) i(1988). iFish ipopulation idynamics. iJohn iWiley, iLondon.

 Harden-Jones iF.R.(1981). iFish imigration: istrategy iand itactics. iIn: iAnimal iMigration

(ed.D.J.Aidley), ipp.139-165.Cambridge iUniversity iPress.

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 Jennings iS. iKaiser iM.J. iReynolds iJ.D. i(2001). iMarine iFisheries iEcology. iBlackwell

iScience iLtd, iU.K., i417 ipp.

 Murawski iS.A. i(1984). iMixed-species iyield-per-recruitment ianalysis iaccounting ifor

itechnological iinteractions. iCanadian iJournal iFisheries iAquatic iSciences i41, i897-916.

 Randall iD.J. iFarrell iA.P. i(eds.) i(1997). iDeep-sea ifishes. iFish iPhysiology i16, iAcademic

iPress, iSan iDiego, i387 ipp.

 Ricker iW.E. i(1975). iComputation iand iinterpretation iof ibiological istatistics iof ifish

ipopulations. iBulletin iFisheries iResearch iBoard iCanada i191.