Disinfectant by-products – a primary fixture that we are all accustomed to in pandemic times. However, did you know that they are extremely toxic when deposited in our water bodies? Otherwise known as CECs (Contaminants of Emerging Concern), they comprise a wide suite of harmful and synthetic chemicals. CECs descended upon us in the past decades due to an exponential rate of uptake in chemical engineering and industrialisation.

As a new and unknown presence in the environment, CECs have traditionally been relatively unmonitored. However, the recent development of new detection methods technologies which allows for the monitoring of these compounds reveals that these anthropogenic contaminants carry a host of deleterious health impacts such as endocrine damage to neighbouring communities where these chemicals traverse to and detrimental impacts on marine ecosystems (Scott et al., 2016).

However, CECs are not just limited to disinfectants. Many ships of the commercial fishing, cruise and shipping variety traverse across oceans are coated with TBT-based (Tribulytin) anti-fouling paints, which is classified under CECs. The usage of TBT is particularly ubiquitous as it is widely used in marine paints to prevent organisms such as barnacles and seaweed from lingering on ships. According to Kroon et al. (2020), TBT-based anti-fouling paints are a mainstay in the shipping industry for the past decade and are largely used to reduce drag and prevent hull damage. In fact, many ships are often coated with TBT paints 5 or 6 times during their lifetime. Thus, as shipping activity intensifies, substantial amounts of TBT pollutants are leached and released into the ocean while undergoing their voyage in shipping lanes, when ships are anchored and while at berth in ports.

Source: Springwise (2018)

Kroon et al. (2020) expound further on the dangers of TBT, indicating how as the compound disintegrates, it releases an organic yet toxic tin compound. What is alarming is that large concentrations of toxic tin residue were found in the sediments of areas with heavy concentrations of shipyard services, heavy boat traffic and dockage. Consequently, this rise in pollutants has especially insidious implications for the marine environment as it not only damages marine ecosystems and beaches but also directly harms aquatic life.

Stay tuned for part 2, where more will be shared about the toxic effects that CECs and TBTs have on marine wildlife and human communities.

References

Kroon, F., Berry, K., Brinkman, D., Kookana, R., Leusch, F., Melvin, S., Neale, P., Negri, A., Puotinen, M., Tsang, J., van de Merwe, J. and Williams, M., 2020. Sources, presence and potential effects of contaminants of emerging concern in the marine environments of the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait, Australia. Science of The Total Environment, 719, p.135140.

Scott, G., Porter, D., Norman, R., Scott, C., Uyaguari-Diaz, M., Maruya, K., Weisberg, S., Fulton, M., Wirth, E., Moore, J., Pennington, P., Schlenk, D., Cobb, G. and Denslow, N., 2016. Antibiotics as CECs: An Overview of the Hazards Posed by Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance. Frontiers in Marine Science, 3.