Approximately 80% of every marine organism, from the smallest plankton to polar bears and giant whales, are contaminated with human-made chemicals in conventional consumer products. These chemicals are released to the ocean through deliberate dumping. For generations, the oceans have been a primary dumping ground for land waste. Sea dumping continued until the 1970s – it was the accepted practice for waste disposal, including hazardous contaminants and even radioactive waste.

Toxic chemicals are also introduced into the sea from land-based activities. Chemicals escape into the soil, water, and air during manufacture, use, or disposal (or even accidental fires or leaks in products containing these chemicals). Once they are in the environment, they can spread to long distances in water and air, including sea currents. People once believed that the sea was vast enough for all contaminants to be diluted and to safe degrees. However, in reality, they have not disappeared; Toxic human-made chemicals have become even more concentrated as they were introduced to the food chain.

Small animals at the lower end of the food chain, such as plankton in the oceans, absorb the chemicals they feed. Because they do not break down quickly, the remnant chemicals accumulate and become  more concentrated within their bodies than in the surrounding water or soil. Smaller animals eat these organisms, and the concentration increases again. In turn, these animals are eaten by larger animals, which can travel vast distances with their heavier chemical load.

Larger animals at the higher end of the food chain, such as seals, can have contamination levels billions of times higher than the surrounding water in which they live. Moreover, polar bears that feed on seals can have contamination levels up to 3.5 billion times higher than their surrounding environment.

Whether it be by using human-made commercial products or by consuming contaminated seafood animal fats, people become contaminated directly from the hazardous chemicals. Evidence is mounting that many human-made chemicals may pose serious health threats as they can lead to cancer, reduced fertility, behavioral problems, and immune system malfunction.