The Cause of Frog Mutation and Population Decline

It is easy person to point their finger at big industrial and chemical plants and blame them for the cause of so much pollution in our water. When taking a closer look, those same people pointing the finger are equally contributing to the pollution of our water supply and are also to blame. This person could be a friend, family member, classmate, or even you. Even if people do not think that they have a part in this, most do. A variety of data has shown traces of pharmaceuticals used by every day humans in our water. As well as pharmaceuticals there is a presence of chemical contaminants, mainly pesticides that are causing harm to our environment and wildlife. Even humans can be affected by such contamination in the water supply, and it can turn out to be very harmful. Both of these factors are the leading suspected cause of frog mutation and decline in their population. There are many smaller factors that go hand in hand with one another are caused specifically because of our actions, even though they do not directly cause these results they help speed up the process. As a first thought most people, as I did, would point out that the sole cause of this issue was the chemicals. In addition to the direct effects of chemical contaminations on frogs, human activities are to blame for the deformities and decreased population of frogs. “U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare defines water pollution as ‘The adding to water of any substance, or the changing of water’s physical and chemical characteristics in any way which interferes with its use of legitimate purposes’” (Rana, 2006, p. 41). Domestic, industrial, and agricultural wastewaters are the three main ways that harmful chemicals end up in our water bodies. Daugton (2007) wrote, “of the major chemical synthesis industries, the pharmaceutical industry produces the most waste…per unit of actual product” (p. 15). Pharmaceuticals such as painkillers, anti depressants, and birth control that

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