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Oceanographer Sylvia Earle (n.d.) once said, “Only we humans make waste that nature
can’t digest” (para.9). Earle (n.d) makes a great point that we can see increase each and every
day in the society. We create products and then dispose of them in and on the earth without fully
understanding the outcomes. Pollution can be seen in many different forms and among different
parts of nature; from greenhouse gasses to landfills, it’s all around us. Ocean dumping is a
problem that is increasingly affecting the environment and the quality of life for humans and
animals alike.
The legal term for Ocean Dumping is referred to as the dumping of garbage, sewage,
waste chemicals, and construction debris into the ocean (“Environment 911”, n.d.). Most of the
materials dumped in the ocean today are uncontaminated sediments. The uncontaminated
sediments are removed from a network of coastal ports and harbors, transportation, national
defense and recreational purposes. There are other components that are disposed of in the ocean
as well. Vessels, fish wastes, and man made ice piers in Antarctica are merely a few of the
components that are discarded. Ocean dumping is used as an alternative way to dispose of waste
Ocean dumping has been happening in the community for many years. Despite the
recordings that we have as early as the 1940’s, ocean dumping has occurred throughout many
years of history. Spanning from 1946 through 1970, the EPA (n.d.) records, “more than 55,000
containers of radioactive wastes were dumped at three ocean sites in the Pacific Ocean” (“Learn
about ocean dumping,” n.d., para. 2). We see the dumping of radioactive containers continue to
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happen in later years (1951-1962) off the East Coast of the U.S as well (“Learn more about
ocean dumping”, n.d.). The National Academy of Sciences (EPA) later on in 1968, estimated
reports on the amounts of waste dumped in the ocean .This includes, “100 million tons of
petroleum products, Two to four million tons of acid chemical wastes from pulp mills; more than
one million tons of heavy metals in industrial wastes; and more than 100,000 tons of organic
chemical wastes” (“Learn more about ocean dumping”, n.d., para. 2). Additionally, the EPA
states that in 1970 the Council on Environmental Quality sent a report to the president regarding
the waste dumped in the ocean in the year 1968 as well. Just in a few decades, we can see the
large increase in ocean dumping. Not to mention this was many many years ago, and our
Due to the population growth, a large outbreak of ocean dumping activities has increased
leading the Congress to create and implemented the MPRSA which is the “Marine Protection,
Research and Sanctuaries Act”. This act was implemented in 1972 and said that the U.S must
manage and oversee the waste that is dumped into the oceans. This was advised due to the effects
on health of humans and the ocean animals and the environment. The MPRSA has put these
responsibilities on the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to deal with, and they are
required to create rules and regulations, permits, and management of ocean dumping (“Learn
more about ocean dumping”, n.d.). The MPRSA commonly known as the “Ocean Dumping Act”
did not really prevent ocean dumping from occurring but merely created rules on the matter. In
1988 The Ocean Dumping Ban Act helped to alter the MPRSA and create stricter rules. This
new act, “now prohibits the ocean dumping of municipal sewage sludge and industrial wastes,
such as wastes from plastics and pharmaceutical manufacturing plants and from petrochemical
refineries…banned the ocean disposal of “medical waste” (“Learn about Ocean Dumping”,
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n.d.,para. 8). Throughout history, ocean dumping has seen its improvements and its downfalls,
but changes continue to occur over time, including those to the ocean itself.
One of the most sensitive elements on this earth is water. The composition of water is a
big part of the earth and any slight change could cause alterations to the oceans. The temperature
of ocean water is a big component of water composition. Billions of pounds of plastic waste are
currently floating in the world’s oceans (Bernstein, 2009). When plastic spreads far enough
throughout some areas of the ocean, the temperature can be highly affected. Since plastic is
mostly a translucent material, it is difficult for the sun’s rays to reach far enough in the ocean.
Tropical areas are known for having warm water, but if there is plastic floating in the ocean the
water temperature may become colder. If the water becomes colder, marine organisms in those
areas can be harmed. Due to the fact that each species has a specific range of temperatures that
they can live in (Anderson, 2003). Hazardous chemicals can damage not only the water
composition, but the organisms as well. Plastics can decompose in the ocean and release
potentially toxic substances. Scientists found that bisphenol A (BPA) and PS oligomer are
released into the water (Bernstein, 2009). BPA and PS oligomer are dangerous substances
because they can disrupt the functionality of hormones in animals and gravely affect their
reproductive systems (Bernstein, 2009). Marine organisms are the most affected by this because
they ingest the harmful chemicals. Once the organism has the substance in their body, it won’t
break down. Since BPA and PS oligomer are potentially hazardous substances, the organism has
We have all heard the countless remarks that, “pollution is killing the planet.” statements
like these can seem to pass us by and can seem over exaggerated at times. However, the ocean
gives a magnificent example of how pollution really does kill. Dead zones, “large bodies of
water that do not have enough oxygen to support marine life” (Scheer & Moss, n.d., para.1).
They are most commonly caused by the toxic chemicals that are dumped into the ocean by large
corporations and factories as well as general runoff from agricultural facilities. These ocean
conditions are known as “hypoxic”, which essentially means “lacking oxygen” (“What Causes
Ocean ‘Dead Zones?’” n.d.). In result of the hypoxic environment, an excess of chemical
nutrients begin to accumulate, which is known as “eutrophication”. This new eutrophication that
is being introduced, leads to an increase in algae blooms which further decrease the oxygen
amounts. These so called “Dead Zones”, are true to their name as they can kill the organisms that
happen to be there. Additionally, the changes in the water composition in relation to the oxygen
can alter the biology of animals and prevent them from reproducing. Without reproduction and
healthy fish, biodiversity is lost and health concerns related to consuming fish will rise. Dead
Zones can occur naturally, but the main reason for them comes down to the pollution and ocean
dumping. Chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers from agricultural runoff and ocean dumping seem
to be the biggest culprit of eutrophication and hypoxic ocean environments (Rinkesh, n.d.).
In addition to the immense amounts of chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers that make
their way into the ocean, plastic also has its fair share of effects. As stated previously when
plastic is introduced to an ocean environment, it alters the composition of the water which in
turn, correlates with the health and livelihood of aquatic animals. One common example of the
plastic problem is when fish, or any animal consume the plastic. Whenever a fish consumes
EFFECTS OF OCEAN DUMPING 6
plastic, it disturbs their organs and can “cause intestinal injury and death and transfers plastic up
the food chain to bigger fish and marine mammals” (“Ocean plastics pollution”, n.d., para. 9). In
addition, when humans consume fish, they are ingesting some of the plastic and toxic things that
the fish consume. Not only, do marine animals see the effects of plastic, but shore animals such
as seagulls do as well. The effects seen are that, “ Plastic ingestion reduces the storage volume of
the stomach, causing birds to consume less food and ultimately starve.” (“Ocean plastics
pollution”, n.d.,para. 11). The death and injury of these animals lead to a reduction in
biodiversity and can damage the fragile food chain of various ecosystems. Nearly all the trash
and debris that is thrown away ends up doing some level of damage.
Due to the damage that is seen, many people predict that by 2050 there will be more
plastic in the ocean than fish. Jacques Cousteau (n.d.) said, “Water and air, the two essential
fluids on which life depends, have become global garbage cans.”. There is a countless number of
future effects for ocean dumping. Human illness, extinction, and economics are just a few of the
future effects. Human illness is a big effect that would mainly be caused by toxins in the ocean.
When humans come in contact with dangerous toxins, depending on which ones, could cause
different types of illnesses. The main diseases that are linked to toxins are cancer and heart
disease (Edwards, 2007). Extinction can be caused by toxins, plastics, and trash. Oil spills are
less frequent, but can cause the most damage. For instance, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in
2010, spread from the U.S to the Gulf of Mexico. Oil spills harm and possibly even kill
organisms. Plastic is the most common form of ocean dumping. Things such as the plastic soda
rings can get caught around an animal and possibly choke them. Economic factors is a big factor
mostly affecting the government. There are many organizations the government funds that help
EFFECTS OF OCEAN DUMPING 7
clean up the ocean. The government spends their money to clean up the oceans, but if ocean
Overall, we can see that the quality of life for humans and animals as well as the
environment are getting impacted by the increasing activity of ocean dumping. Affecting things
such as water composition, marine animal health, and aquatic environments; this way of disposal
is slowly killing the planet. Whether or not you are conscious of your waste levels or never give
getting informed on these issues, you can be more aware of your actions and begin to work
towards prevention. By making a small change, you can be on your way to helping preserve our
oceans.
References
http://www.marinebio.net/marinescience/02ocean/swcomposition.htm
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2009/august/plastics-in-
oceans-decompose-release-hazardous-chemicals-surprising-new-study-says.html
https://www.livestrong.com/article/268337-future-effects-of-pollution/
https://www.epa.gov/ocean-dumping/learn-about-ocean-dumping#od_improvements
http://www.seasky.org/quotes/sea-quotes-ocean-conservation.html
https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/ocean_plastics/
https://www.futureagenda.org/insight/plastic-oceans
https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/causes-and-effects-of-ocean-dead-zones.php
Scheer, R.,& Moss, D. (n.d.). What causes ocean “dead zones”? Retrieved from
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ocean-dead-zones/
http://www.environment911.org/The_Effects_of_Ocean_Dumping
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