Photo courtesy: NCCR Untreated industrial discharge along the coast of Periyakuppam, Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu.
Abstract: Poisonous chemicals let out into the sea are entering the food chain—interfering with the marine ecosystem. The resultant loss of biodiversity, coral bleaching, ocean acidification and harmful algal blooms needs to be assessed urgently. The setting of threshold levels for all hazardous heavy metals is imperative and the nation needs to update the existing regulatory guidelines and standards with sound scientific data.
The authors are Group Head, Marine Ecotoxicology and Ecological Risk Assessment Programme; Scientist D and Project Scientist; respectively, at National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai. venkat@nccr.gov.in. The article should be cited as Sharma K.V., S.R. Marigoudar and A. Nagarjuna. 2022. Poisons in the sea – Regulating Safe Levels, Geography and You, 22(148): 38-43
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