Pollution has affected much of the world. It has even reached to places that people have thought to be inaccessible. Toxic chemicals affect marine life even in deep sea trenches.
Much of the toxic chemicals that have been found in deep sea marine creatures are ones that have been banned since the 1970s. High levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been discovered. Other pollutants were found as well as deep as 10 kilometers below sea level.
These toxic chemicals have been in marine life from the Marianas Trench. This is 1,300 kilometers from Japan. The same situation has been seen in another area. The Kermadec Trench is 1,500 kilometers from New Zealand and marine life there are also affected by toxic pollutants.
Dr. Alan Jamieson is the lead author of the study. He has said that finding the pollutants in such remote areas show the long term effects pollution has to the Earth. He has noted that it is a legacy that man is leaving for future generations to deal with.
The levels found in marine life in the deep sea trenches are comparable to those found in Suruga Bay in Japan. The area is said to be one of the most industrially polluted zones in the Pacific. That such levels could also be found in marine life from the sea trenches shows how much pollution has reached even remote areas.
More research would still be done on how the toxic pollutants are affecting marine life in the sea trenches, according to The Independent. Causes that has led to pollutants going into the deep trenches include accidents, leak from landfills and even deliberate dumping. Many of the pollutants either drifted down or have been from dead creatures who have eaten them.
Many of the pollutants do not degrade easily and can accumulate. The animals that were found to have toxic chemicals in them include crustaceans from the Marianas Trench. These were found to have PCBs 50 times higher than average, as Tech Times reports.
Pollution is an issue that faces modern society. This has reached even remote areas. Toxic chemicals affect marine life in deep sea trenches. A study finds that the Ventura Fault can be an origin for strong earthquakes.
