The 12 Most Common Pollutants Being Dumped into American Oceans

Our oceans are vital to our ecosystems, our economy, and even how our climate shifts. They're gorgeous to gaze at and thrilling to swim in, but they have also become the unsuspecting dumping ground for the waste of modern humanity. Pollution in our oceans isn't some faraway concept—it's happening right now, even as you read this text on your screen.

It's not to be taken lightly. Industrial toxins and plastics are floating and sinking into our beloved oceans, tainting marine waters in ways we can hardly comprehend as we worry about commutes, to-do lists, and family matters. Nevertheless, we need to learn more. Discover the 12 most common pollutants being dumped into American oceans and what you can do to help.

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You guessed it! This is one of the top pollutants in American oceans. Those single-use plastics you may feel a twinge of guilt are part of the problem. It's convenient, sure, but in the long run, you're affecting future generations. These aren't just water bottles. Plastics also include synthetic fabrics and even components used in cosmetics.

The problem is multi-layered, and marine life pays the price. Sometimes they get entangled and eventually, those microplastics become a part of the seafood you enjoy at your favorite restaurant. It's a cycle. What can you do? Recycle, don't litter. A lot of this stuff ends up getting into the ocean through storm drains.

Also, any kind of wastewater, whether treated or untreated, becomes a hazard to American oceans. If you're a fan of shellfish, it's important to know that multiple pathogens and toxins infiltrate not just the ocean, but the life within it. This is especially the case when there's heavy rainfall since it only adds to sewage discharge issues.

There's no getting around it—sewage must be removed from residential areas and transferred to treatment centers. Unfortunately, aging infrastructure, extreme weather events, and simple discharge from drains land this icky, problem-producing water in the ocean.

This runs off from stormwater, but it also occurs when there are major spills. Sometimes, spills are intentional and illegal, but they're also often accidental. No matter the origin, they have an impact. This affects shorelines and marine life, coating them with oily residue that affects everything from their buoyancy to their reproduction.

If there is a massive tanker catastrophe, that's one thing. But interestingly, continuous small spills and regular urban runoff are worse in comparison to a single disastrous event.

This type of waste is generated from factories and refineries, among other operations. Some of those pollutants include solvents and dioxins, which are highly toxic. Not only do these pollutants affect wildlife, but they affect you, even when it comes to reproduction. The point is this isn't just an issue that affects animals in the ocean. These pollutants trace right back to you.

These pollutants are also linked to cancer. Polychlorinated biphenyls, also known as PCBs, are an issue. Technically, they're banned, but their remnants are still in our oceans. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describes them as a "group of man-made organic chemicals consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and chlorine atoms."

Yep, nuclear plants are high-tech, but even they have leaks. Not only that, but there are ships and industrial waste that result in American oceans becoming radioactive waste zones. That doesn't sound in any way attractive when heading to the beach, right?

This type of waste isn't nearly as common as other types, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Marine organisms get affected, resulting in genetic disruptions. This kind of waste doesn't just affect marine life, though. Human health gets the brunt of it, too, especially when it comes to long-term contamination.

The NOAA Fisheries explains that "Fishermen use many different types of fishing gear and catch a wide variety of species. Usually, fishermen use certain types of fishing gear to target specific species. However, these different fishing methods can accidentally capture or injure other non-target species, called 'bycatch.'"

This type of pollutant encompasses anything from lost nets to traps, all of which seriously damage coral reefs and, in the worst cases, kill marine animals. This isn't that unusual, either, and fishermen hold a lot of responsibility when it comes to retrieving their equipment, keeping it on their boats, and returning to shore safely.

CO₂ from burning fossil fuels lands and dissipates into the vastness of the ocean. When this occurs, the acidification of the issue is impacted, and what that means for corals and shellfish is that they have a much harder time creating the structures they need to survive.

Not only that, but fish are impacted, too. Their behavior changes, which alters the way entire ecosystems function. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirms that the acidity in the ocean has increased by 30%.

Rainstorms are often welcome, especially if you're cuddling at home and not caught on the road. However, agricultural runoff becomes an issue as water rushes into drains.

This runoff becomes toxic to marine life, and coastal estuaries are typically where the problem is most severe.

These include metals like cadmium, lead, and mercury. Industrial runoff is a culprit, but so is coal burning and even mining.

How does this affect you? Well, if you enjoy tuna, for example, you're exposing yourself to these trace metals.

Flushing meds seems to be a common practice, but even if properly disposed of, sewage treatment may not be fully cleared. This detrimentally impacts marine biology.

Obviously, pharmaceuticals have side effects and were never meant for marine life. This changes the behavior of fish, sometimes even causing hormonal shifts that impact gender, as confirmed by Yale School of Medicine.

Sedimentation occurs when there is erosion from things like construction and deforestation. This then impacts entire coral reefs and can block sunlight, which kills aquatic plants.

It's not just the sediment itself, but what's in it. It may include several other pollutants like pathogens and pesticides, only making its already negative impact worse.

The debris that goes into the ocean ends up forming entire patches of garbage that just kind of hook onto each other and stick together. When you have this kind of garbage concentration, marine life gets trapped, and toxins accumulate.

You know how Texas is huge? There is The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and that thing is double the size of the state, as confirmed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Imagine that.