Analysis of Our Medicines Are Altering Marine Biology Article - Essay Example

The study by a California-based toxicologist indicates that seawater is found to contain pollutants such as plastic additives, flame retardants, and pharmaceutical drugs in high proportions than permitted by the authorities. These pollutants are now showing up in fish tissues as well. It also revealed that a high level of female hormone called estrogen is also found in male fish, which may be due to some hormone-altering chemicals causing this change. It further stated that as much as 90% of the male fish were found producing egg yolk proteins and one of them even produced eggs.

The study also indicated that the usual method of diluting pollution with a vast amount of seawater was not the right way to get rid of these new kinds of contaminants. Steven Bay, a toxicologist by profession, is of the view that this study is likely to trigger a new policy debate on incorporating new sewage-treatment methods and facilities. The reasons for the contamination lie in 1 billion gallons of partially treated sewage that flows into the sea every day from four major streams in the area. The scientific study done by the researchers is alarming in the sense that how our ecological system is in peril.

The reasons for the extinction of many species from our planet are not hard to find. Industrial development and rampant consumption is harming the very basis of the natural ecosystem and it is likely to prove disastrous in the long run. Protecting marine life means essentially preserving a food chain that nature has taken millions of years to develop and mankind may destroy in a few decades. The matter is so critical that some drastic measures are urgently needed for a foolproof system to safeguard our environment in general and water as well as air in particular.

The above news report does not throw any light on remedial measures for the issue involved. It is not correct to state that sewage treatment plants are failing to remove hormone and hormone-altering chemicals from water because at first hand they were designed to treat only domestic sewage and not nonbiodegradable wastes. Modern society started making use of cosmetics, paints, pharmaceutical drugs, and many more in the last few decades only – much after these sewage treatment plants were designed and put to use.

The treatment processes for such stubborn chemicals and pollutants are quite complex and cumbersome. By its very nature being nonbiodegradable, it is required to devise measures where they are not allowed to go to domestic sewage systems. The streams are required to be separated, collected, and then treated separately and allowed to go to the ocean or river only when it does not contain toxicity. Another alternative is they can be put through incinerators where they are burnt off; however, they need to be tackled there for the possibility of polluting the environment by generating toxic flue gases.

It is also required to educate people why the use of modern cosmetics and decorative products such as paints and other decorative enamels are harmful to our environment and it should be stressed to reduce the use of such products as much as possible in our daily life. Protecting the environment and ecological balance is the responsibility of every citizen.