Toxic Waste

Examine what we produce, how we produce it, and then what we eat.....Consider the way we make things and its effect on our environment and on our health...Act and take true ownership of a healthy positive way of living... Let's examine what went wrong on our home planet, how we have operated so far, and how much damage has been done to human life, the Earth and other species....

Toxic wastes are poisonous materials that are being dumped into ecosystems, such as the ocean. They harm many plants and animals there and have a huge impact on our health. Toxic waste is the most harmful form of pollution to sea life and humans. In the food chain, one toxin-infected organism gets eaten by another larger animal, which gets eaten by another animal, until the toxin ends up being in our seafood. Toxic waste gets into seas and oceans by the leaking of landfills, dumps, mines, and farms. Farm chemicals and heavy metals from factories can have a very harmful effect on marine life and humans.

Many fishermen believe that toxic chemicals in the ocean are killing much of the fish population. One of the most harmful chemicals in the ocean is lead. Lead can cause many health problems. It can damage the brain, kidneys, and reproductive system. Lead can also cause birth defects in people. It has been shown to cause low IQ scores, slow growth, and hearing problems for small children. House and car paint, and the manufacturing of lead batteries, fishing lures, certain parts of bullets, some ceramic ware, water pipes, and fixtures all give off lead.

Many things found in the ocean may cause seafood to be dangerous to human health. The effect on humans from contaminated seafood may include birth defects and nervous system damage. Medical waste found in the ocean is being tested to see if swimmers have a chance of developing Hepatitis or AIDS. Other waste has been known to cause viral and bacterial diseases. This type of pollution could be stopped even by enforcing existing legislation and by all of us watching what pollution we are letting into the ocean. People are trying to decrease the amount of waste in the oceans by recycling as much garbage as they can so there is a smaller amount of very harmful materials in the ocean.

The Threat of Pollution and what YOU can do about it

Toxic Terrorism Invades Third World Nations

Ocean Pollution: The Dirty Facts

United Nation Human Rights: The hazard of toxic waste on human rights

Human Impact on Oceans

When you follow these links, in the page you come to, there are other suggestions listed down the right side. Explore these as well; some of them are very intriguing. Examine the Earth before we applied our footprint; Consider our effects recently; What Actions should we take to prevent more damage than we have already done...