The more you read about the effects of pollution on the earth, the more unbelievable it all seems to be that it ever got to this stage! Our planet is massively over polluted with so much man-made material and if nothing is done about it soon we may be at the stage of no return.
Here are 10 unbelievable facts about ocean pollution:-
1. Approximately 6.5 million tons of litter is dumped into the earths oceans every year!
2. Over 50% of the litter dumped into our oceans is plastic. That is approximately 3 million tons of plastic every year.
3. Every year, approximately 250 million people are reported to be ill through bathing in contaminated oceans. The most common illnesses are respiratory diseases.
4. The consumption of polluted shellfish causes up to 100,000 death every year
5. Every year, approximately 100,000 marine life are killed every year due to plastic littering.
6. The impact of pollution in our oceans costs $16 Billion every year. This includes treatment of human illness through swimming in the sea.
7. It can only take one dip in the sea for a human to become ill through the pollution that resides in the water. In fact, 1 in 20 people swimming in water deemed acceptable to swim in will fall ill.
8. More than 100,000 chemicals are produced for commercial purposes. These chemicals present a huge threat to our oceans when they are being transported across the world.
9. Over 70% of litter entering the oceans will sink and reside on the ocean seabed. The rest of the litter will wash up onto beaches or float on top of the water.
10. It is estimated that there are now approximately 25 trillion pieces of plastic in the worlds oceans.
