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Heavy Metal Contaminants in the Ocean Can Become More Toxic Over Time, Study Finds

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12 Oct, 2024

This post was originally published on Eco Watch

A new study is warning that trace metals like lead, arsenic and mercury that are present in ocean water can become more toxic over time as factors like ocean warming and acidity can increase the bioavailability of these trace elements.

Although these elements can naturally occur in coastal areas, their concentrations have increased due to human activities like agriculture and industrial manufacturing. Now, scientists warn that problems such as ocean acidification and warming are further strengthening the toxicity and spread of trace elements, both from natural and human sources.

“Human activities have increased the global flow of toxic metals such as lead by tenfold and mercury by three to seven times compared to pre-industrial levels,” Sylvia Sander, professor of marine mineral resources at GEOMAR, said in a statement. “Toxic elements like silver are increasingly detectable in coastal waters, originating from coal combustion and the growing use of silver nanoparticles in antibacterial products.” 

The researchers found that the effects of rising sea levels, ocean warming, melting sea ice, drying river beds and ocean acidification could all play roles in the transport and accumulation of trace elements, particularly those that occur naturally. The researchers published their findings in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

Illustration of natural and anthropogenic sources, sinks and transport pathways of trace substances in coastal ecosystems that may interact with climate impacts. Red arrows indicate expected directions of change due to climate change. Zitoun et al. 2024

But trace elements from human sources are also contaminating the environment, with heavy metals coming into the oceans from fossil fuel and industry activities. Further, shipping and plastics can also introduce more trace elements into the oceans, especially because plastics can bind certain metals, including lead and copper.

As ocean temperatures rise, the bioavailability of trace elements increases, meaning it becomes easier for marine life to absorb the trace elements, the researchers explained. Trace elements, especially copper, also experience an increase in bioavailability and solubility in the presence of more acidic water. Copper can become extremely toxic to marine life in higher concentrations. 

In a recent report on planetary vital signs, a team of international scientists confirmed that ocean warming and acidification had reached record extremes in recent years.

The authors of the new report on trace elements noted that there are still significant research gaps on how the effects of climate change could also impact ocean contaminants. In response, the study authors are calling for expanding the research on new and under-studied contaminants, expanding geographical research coverage, and establishing laws and risk assessments on trace elements.

“To better understand the impacts on ecosystems and human health, we need to close knowledge gaps on the interactions between pollutants and climate change and develop standardized methods that provide globally comparable data,” said Rebecca Zitoun, co-lead author of the study and a marine chemist at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel.

The post Heavy Metal Contaminants in the Ocean Can Become More Toxic Over Time, Study Finds appeared first on EcoWatch.

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Government consulting on sustainable investment labelling

Government consulting on sustainable investment labelling

The Australian Government is starting consultation on sustainable investment product labelling, which is designed to give investors more confidence to put more capital to work in sustainable products.

The federal government said the release of this paper is a key step in implementing its Sustainable Finance Roadmap — designed to help mobilise the capital required for Australia to become a renewable energy superpower, modernising the financial markets and maximising the economic opportunities from net zero.

This consultation paper seeks views from investors, companies and the broader community on a framework for sustainable investment product labels.

These labels are designed to help investors and consumers identify, compare and make informed decisions about sustainable investment products to understand what ‘sustainable’, ‘green’ or similar words mean when they’re applied to financial products.

The government said a more robust and clear product-labelling framework will help investors and consumers invest in sustainable products with confidence and help tackle greenwashing.

This phase of consultation will run from 18 July to 29 August and help the government refine its design principles for the framework.

The consultation paper is available on the Treasury consultation hub.

Image credit: iStock.com/wenich-mit

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