Marine Pollution — An Alternative View

摘要

In his editorial, 'Marine Pollution' (Marine Pollution Bulletin 34, 592-594, 1997), Jack Pearce reviews some recent work on contaminants — materials that are mobilized to the marine environment by society but which do not demonstrably impact upon resources. Pollutants, which are defined as those substances that have measurable effects upon the health of both human and marine life, pose far greater challenges to the environmental community for understanding and to the political community for action. The establishment of cause-effect relationships between the pollutant and the targeted organism can be a difficult charge. Still placing such an emphasis upon marine contaminants does a disservice to those who seek a healthier ocean environment when funds and people are inadequate for pollution investigations.