‘
“!
while lèsser amounts were discharged into sewers. Thus, the amounts of these
%Îl
’
solvents that reached the oceans were considerable. Other synthetic, volatile
‘%
organic compounds such as vinyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, aldehydes,
N
ketones, and alcohols also were released into the environment and thus were
%«
susceptible to transfer to the ocean by precipitaüon, fallout, or direct dis%%
solution as gases.
Global porodùction of these light synthetic compounds was
approximated to be 20—80 million tons annually.
…“
"
The foregoing estimates of amounts of synthetic chemicals released
to the
'
!
environment were based generally on overall production gures and use pat%
term—the only practical procedure available, but one which provides merely
the roughest approximation. Another phase of human activity—the inten—
zÏ ; ‘
tional dumping of large quantiües of wastes into the sea—produces an addi—
%%
tional threat from chemicals that is not reected in estimates such as the pre—
%
ceding NAS gures. For example, chemical wastes from pesticide factories in
the Mississippi River Valley, principally in the Memphis area, were shipped
%
at an estimated rate of 14,000tons per month in 1968 to a point 100 miles
%%
into the Gulf of Mexico and dumped into the water. That year, an overall to—
%
tal of 330,000 tons of pesticide wastes passed into waters o the US. coast,
%
according to a landmark study performed for the Solid Waste Management
%
Ofce by members of the Dillingham Corporation, La ]olla, California [28].
%
The pesticides included chlorinated hydrocarbon as well as other types ofin—
%
secticides, herbicides, and mgicides. These pesticide wastes were part of a
!
total of 4.7 million tons of industrial wastes disposed of off the continental
%
United
States in 1968 that included 2.7 million tons of acids, 560,000 tons of
-
«
renery Wastes, 140,000 tons of paper mill wastes, and 940,000 tons of other
assorted
materials including ammonium sulfate and sodium cyanide._ The ma—
ÿ;Ïff”%
,jdty of these chemical wastes were shipped in tank barges from which the Î
were discharged directly into the ocean. Some dangerous chem’Î%
shipped in various types of containers—a practice that protected %_
j
rather than the environment, since the containers were
j'W
; ‘ 7 generallyeiïer purposely ruptured at the ocean’s surface or were ruptured :
“_by water pressure after they sunk. In any case, the chemical waste usually ;,“
,…
camein‘to
direct contact with the ocean after a period of time.
f
"”
'FeW studies
haVe’been made on the environmental eËect*of this wasteis—
‘
posal practice. In One case, industrial chlorinated hydrocarbons in the Gülfbf
M9XÎCO
sh
plakton (minute plant and animal organ—
\
isms) in the immediate disposal area, With effeCts on marine life lasting two to
four «hOUIS, Laboratory tests
chemicals—which included betachloroPÏQ,PYÏ€ËIÏÏÇ>_ trichlôr6propane;îsopr'opyl chloride, and allyl chloride—revealed
,
inhibition of photosyntheswmtmy marine plants (phytdplan‘kton) and et resè
piration in very Smallsurfacemarmemals (Zooplankton). Thedischarge of
the chemicals Of 0e tankaectedanmedlaæ area dfsome- seven s‘guare
miles Of ocean surface. Perh3P3themostglæmg shortcoming in the
tests
Ï
conducted was that 110
WGremadeofthe long—term,’cumulativébio— -_:-'}‘
.
logical impact of the stable.chlorinatedîliydrocæbon compounds sand pe‘st‘i—Q '}f‘à
,
'
cides. As such compoundsare
78
Ocean Trial
“
;
°
—
‘
.…
%
%…%u%…—,-%- ……»
%
‘*-‘
_
'
“!
while lèsser amounts were discharged into sewers. Thus, the amounts of these
%Îl
’
solvents that reached the oceans were considerable. Other synthetic, volatile
‘%
organic compounds such as vinyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, aldehydes,
N
ketones, and alcohols also were released into the environment and thus were
%«
susceptible to transfer to the ocean by precipitaüon, fallout, or direct dis%%
solution as gases.
Global porodùction of these light synthetic compounds was
approximated to be 20—80 million tons annually.
…“
"
The foregoing estimates of amounts of synthetic chemicals released
to the
'
!
environment were based generally on overall production gures and use pat%
term—the only practical procedure available, but one which provides merely
the roughest approximation. Another phase of human activity—the inten—
zÏ ; ‘
tional dumping of large quantiües of wastes into the sea—produces an addi—
%%
tional threat from chemicals that is not reected in estimates such as the pre—
%
ceding NAS gures. For example, chemical wastes from pesticide factories in
the Mississippi River Valley, principally in the Memphis area, were shipped
%
at an estimated rate of 14,000tons per month in 1968 to a point 100 miles
%%
into the Gulf of Mexico and dumped into the water. That year, an overall to—
%
tal of 330,000 tons of pesticide wastes passed into waters o the US. coast,
%
according to a landmark study performed for the Solid Waste Management
%
Ofce by members of the Dillingham Corporation, La ]olla, California [28].
%
The pesticides included chlorinated hydrocarbon as well as other types ofin—
%
secticides, herbicides, and mgicides. These pesticide wastes were part of a
!
total of 4.7 million tons of industrial wastes disposed of off the continental
%
United
States in 1968 that included 2.7 million tons of acids, 560,000 tons of
-
«
renery Wastes, 140,000 tons of paper mill wastes, and 940,000 tons of other
assorted
materials including ammonium sulfate and sodium cyanide._ The ma—
ÿ;Ïff”%
,jdty of these chemical wastes were shipped in tank barges from which the Î
were discharged directly into the ocean. Some dangerous chem’Î%
shipped in various types of containers—a practice that protected %_
j
rather than the environment, since the containers were
j'W
; ‘ 7 generallyeiïer purposely ruptured at the ocean’s surface or were ruptured :
“_by water pressure after they sunk. In any case, the chemical waste usually ;,“
,…
camein‘to
direct contact with the ocean after a period of time.
f
"”
'FeW studies
haVe’been made on the environmental eËect*of this wasteis—
‘
posal practice. In One case, industrial chlorinated hydrocarbons in the Gülfbf
M9XÎCO
sh
plakton (minute plant and animal organ—
\
isms) in the immediate disposal area, With effeCts on marine life lasting two to
four «hOUIS, Laboratory tests
chemicals—which included betachloroPÏQ,PYÏ€ËIÏÏÇ>_ trichlôr6propane;îsopr'opyl chloride, and allyl chloride—revealed
,
inhibition of photosyntheswmtmy marine plants (phytdplan‘kton) and et resè
piration in very Smallsurfacemarmemals (Zooplankton). Thedischarge of
the chemicals Of 0e tankaectedanmedlaæ area dfsome- seven s‘guare
miles Of ocean surface. Perh3P3themostglæmg shortcoming in the
tests
Ï
conducted was that 110
WGremadeofthe long—term,’cumulativébio— -_:-'}‘
.
logical impact of the stable.chlorinatedîliydrocæbon compounds sand pe‘st‘i—Q '}f‘à
,
'
cides. As such compoundsare
78
Ocean Trial
“
;
°
—
‘
.…
%
%…%u%…—,-%- ……»
%
‘*-‘
_
'