Whales now face the dangers of chemical, plastic and noise pollution.

The last remaining resident orca population in the UK, located off the west coast of Scotland, has not produced a calf in 25 years. The experts believe that infertility among the small whale population has been caused by exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls. Dr. Paul Jepson of the Zoological Society of London said, “There’s no way that this population can recover.” earth.com

Thousands of tonnes of chemical and industrial waste including Agent Orange derivatives, dioxins and PCBs from a Monsanto-owned plant in Newport were dumped at the Brofiscin quarry, near the village of Groesfaen, in the 1960s and 70s. Department for the Environment described it as one of the most contaminated sites in Wales. The Guardian

We found that overall 61 (68%) of the 90 whale and dolphin species have been reported to be affected by marine plastic pollution, either by ingestion or entanglement - Whale and Dolphin Conservation

There are two ways in which noise pollution impacts whales. First, there are short and extremely loud noises that can physically harm whales, potentially causing them to go deaf and even cause them to strand on coastlines. Sources of such noise include sonar and seismic surveys. Second, there are noises that are quieter but are constant and ever-present. Most of this noise comes from shipping – primarily from giant ocean-going cargo ships. whale.org