Micro Pollutants Could Spell the End for Many Species

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Aydın stated that microcontaminants and endocrine disruptors, if their use is not restricted, could lead to the extinction of many living species and pose a threat to the environment and human health. As chemical use has become widespread in many sectors to accelerate production to meet the needs of the growing population, this rapid production introduces numerous pollutants into the atmosphere, soil and water. Among pollutants resulting from chemical use, endocrine disruptors from the pharmaceutical industry and microcontaminants so small they are invisible to the naked eye in the environment are particularly prominent. Answering questions about the sources and effects of these pollutants, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Aydın, Head of the Hydraulics Department at the Civil Engineering Division of the Engineering Faculty at Necmettin Erbakan University and Executive of the Turkey Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) Working Group on Environment, Biodiversity and Climate Change, defined microcontaminants and endocrine disruptors as persistent pollutants at the nanogram or microgram scale, known to be harmful to the environment and human health, and generally resistant to natural degradation processes in the environment. Aydın noted that microcontaminants are divided into two groups, organic and inorganic, and that some of these compounds exhibit carcinogenic and toxic effects and can harm the environment and human health. Noting that organic microcontaminants such as pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls are also endocrine disruptors, Aydın stated that heavy metals naturally found in the earth's crust and incapable of being degraded or eliminated fall into the inorganic microcontaminants class, and that more than 60 metals including lead, cadmium, chromium, iron, cobalt, copper, nickel, mercury and zinc could be included in this generally toxic group that causes environmental pollution.

"There are more than 50 million chemical substances used globally"

Describing endocrine disruptors simply as chemicals or chemical mixtures that affect normal hormonal function, Aydın said: "There are more than 50 million chemical substances used globally and more than 1,000 of them are endocrine disruptors. The natural ones are phytoestrogens that can be found in foods. The synthetic ones are chemicals such as microcontaminants, pesticides, plasticizers and pharmaceutical drugs. Some endocrine disruptors are also present in cosmetics and personal care products. They are found in plastic materials such as food and beverage packaging, toys, carpets and insecticides as well as many daily-use products. Flame retardant chemicals used in furniture and some textile products are also endocrine disruptors." Emphasizing that pharmaceutical drugs enter water through the sewage system, while other pollutants mix into air, water and soil during domestic and industrial activities, Aydın explained: "If the environment we discharge into is soil, rainfall washes it from the soil and carries it to water sources. Domestic wastewater is already discharged into the water environment at the exit of treatment plants. These pollutants do not remain in the environment where they are introduced; they somehow reach the environment and some can be transported long distances by air and wind. Ultimately they reach the seas and are transported by sea currents to distances far from where they were used or introduced."

Noting that the effects of these pollutants on living organisms occur over a long period after mixing with nature, Aydın continued:

"They first accumulate in small organisms, then in organisms that eat them, and we see greater effects in organisms at the top of the food chain. For example, in a marine ecosystem these pollutants or endocrine disruptors accumulate in phytoplankton in concentrations several times higher, then accumulate several times more in the organism that eats it, and finally become concentrated millions of times over in a bird that hunts fish in the water to feed. Here the bird represents the organism at the top of the food chain, but generally in an ecosystem humans are at the top of the food chain." Expressing that the world has faced a massive pollution burden created by human influence over the past 150 years, Aydın drew attention to the fact that the effects of radioactive materials decline even after 1,000 years, but chemical pollutants can remain in nature for longer periods without degrading.

Saying that it is not possible to completely prevent microcontaminants and endocrine disruptors but their use must be restricted and their entry into nature prevented, Aydın concluded:

"This situation created by human hands in turn harms itself along with other living things. If this continues without any measures being taken, combined with global warming, it will make life more difficult on Earth and cause the extinction of many living species. If the ecosystem collapses completely, it will become harder for us to find food to sustain life, air to breathe and drinking water. When you produce these chemicals, they will inevitably escape into the environment, but it is possible to minimize this and dispose of them in wastewater treatment plants because the main sources from which these are intensively released into the environment are wastewater discharges. If wastewater, industrial waste, hazardous waste and solid waste are disposed of using appropriate techniques and in accordance with relevant regulations, the entry of microcontaminants and endocrine disruptors into the environment can be partially prevented." Source