Negative Effects Of Water Pollution

1209 Words5 Pages

Alex Grommesh
Ms. Heise/Ms. Keel
English 2
16 March 2018
The Negative Effects of Water Pollution
The majority of all marine ships dispose of their waste by throwing it into the sea (Wroble 41). If they are caught doing this they can be charged for littering and be given anywhere between a three hundred to a two thousand dollar fine (this fine can be more or less depending on where it occurred). Furthermore, if what is being dumped is considered hazardous to the environment a jail sentence can be given to the perpetrator (“How Can Water…”). As you can see water pollution is a punishable crime, but do you know why? It is because there are many negative effects of water pollution that can be harmful to people, wildlife, and the environment.
“Every …show more content…

One of the creatures that are greatly affected are sea turtles. When the turtles are looking for food they will occasionally spot a plastic bag, mistake it for a jellyfish, and eat it (Wroble 40). The plastic cannot be easily digested and will stay in the turtle 's stomach for many years, and when too much plastic accumulates in its stomach it will die. Plastic does not only harm animals from consumption but also by making everyday activities harder (Wroble 40). It can get entangled in a fishes fins and gills or get stuck in a birds feet or feathers and make flight impossible. One of the animals that this is extremely harmful to are seals. Since seals are very playful and curious of new things they will often play with it and get them stuck on their snouts and fins (Wroble 41). Once it gets stuck on their snouts there 's no way for them to get it off and they will starve to death. Plastics are not the only thing harming wildlife. Another culprit of this are styrofoam pellets. Oftentimes animals will see them and mistake them for food and eat them (Wroble 41). The animals will eat these until they get full, and this is a problem. The pellets have absolutely zero nutritional value and can not provide vital nutrients to sustain life. Since they got full from them they will not feel the need to eat for many days and will begin to feel weak from malnourishment and have trouble catching actual prey. Trash is not the only thing harming the wildlife. Another thing causing harm are chemicals. PCBs, a type of chemical in coolants, are almost completely harmless to fish, but when a bird eats a fish that has PCBs in them it will affect the strength of their eggs (Wroble 47). When the eggs are weaker like this the mother can not warm them because if she does she will break them. This causes a plumite in the bird population and can make a few species endangered. Another chemical