Häder DP (2021)
Publication Type: Authored book
Publication year: 2021
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
ISBN: 9783030756024
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-75602-4_16
Human development is characterized by discarding items after the end of their useful lifetime rather than recycling them which stresses the finite resources of our planet. A growing avalanche of single-use plastic articles accumulates in the landscape and in the oceans. Hazardous chemical wastes are pumped by pipeline into the sea, carried by ships and dumped into the ocean or are incinerated off-shore. Pharmaceuticals, drugs and household wastes are washed into coastal ecosystems stressing the biota. In addition to household and industrial waste, soil and rubble from building activities are disposed of at sea. Especially after wars, weapons and ammunition including chemical, bacteriological and nuclear warfare agents are dumped into the oceans. Eventually, hazardous chemicals leak out of the containers threatening marine life. Radioactive waste from nuclear fission reactors and nuclear weapon production constitutes a major problem because of the long half life of the radionuclides generated during production. Therefore, many countries have resorted to dumping these at sea. In addition, catastrophic accidents on nuclear powered vessels and submarines as well as nuclear reactors release radioactive material to the environment which can reach the sea. After the conquest of the space around our planet, the number of objects orbiting the Earth has increased exponentially. Decommissioned spacecraft and damaged objects amount to more than 500,000 pieces, which fall out of orbit in a controlled or uncontrolled manner. Larger objects such as space stations and rockets are steered to the Southern Pacific Ocean where a "spacecraft cemetery" holds the remains of numerous spacecraft.
APA:
Häder, D.-P. (2021). Dumping of toxic waste into the oceans. Springer International Publishing.
MLA:
Häder, Donat-Peter. Dumping of toxic waste into the oceans. Springer International Publishing, 2021.
BibTeX: Download