Searching for radioactive waste in the depths of the Atlantic – France 24

Container (metal or concrete drums) of low-level radioactive waste, in the North-East Atlantic dumping zone (NEA zone), between 4,500 and 4,700 m deep, 1984 (courtesy of Fûts de déchets faiblement radioactifs en Altantique Nord-Est CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia).

For nearly five decades, more than 200,000 barrels of radioactive waste were dumped in the icy depths of the northeast Atlantic. Today, no one knows precisely where these barrels are located, or what kind of state they are in. On June 15, a French-led team of scientists will set sail from Brittany in a bid to map the barrels and assess their impacts on surrounding marine ecosystems…

Cigarette Butts Are A Hidden Threat To California’s Horn Sharks – Forbes

Juvenile horn shark (Heterodontus francisci) at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (by Erik Ogan CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia).

Marine debris continues to be a pressing environmental issue worldwide, particularly plastic waste, which often originates from land-based sources and can break down into microplastics. While many types of waste contribute to marine pollution, cigarette butts are the most commonly found form of plastic waste, and they pose unique threats to ocean ecosystems…

Can the circular economy help the Caribbean win its war against waste? – Mongabay

On the way to the Playa Quehueche in Livingston, on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala (by Ken MacElwee CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED via Flickr).

For decades, a graveyard of corroding barrels has littered the seafloor just off the coast of Los Angeles. It was out of sight, out of mind — a not-so-secret secret that haunted the marine environment until a team of researchers came across them with an advanced underwater camera…Startling amounts of DDT near the barrels pointed to a little-known history of toxic pollution…but federal regulators recently determined that the manufacturer had not bothered with barrels. (Its acid waste was poured straight into the ocean instead.)…

It’s not just toxic chemicals. Radioactive waste was also dumped off Los Angeles coast – the Los Angeles Times

Sea Floor Sand (by Dimitris Siskopoulos from Alexandroupolis, Greece, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia).

For decades, a graveyard of corroding barrels has littered the seafloor just off the coast of Los Angeles. It was out of sight, out of mind — a not-so-secret secret that haunted the marine environment until a team of researchers came across them with an advanced underwater camera…Startling amounts of DDT near the barrels pointed to a little-known history of toxic pollution…but federal regulators recently determined that the manufacturer had not bothered with barrels. (Its acid waste was poured straight into the ocean instead.)…