This Beachpedia article details a few of the health effects of coastal pollution on people, specifically surfers in Southern California. The effects include gastrointestinal illnesses as well as other infections from pathogens from storm water, and damage from fertilizers, pesticides, and petroleum products.
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Coastal pollution is a serious problem because of the human health problems it can cause, as well as the damage it does to marine life. Since it is not always obvious that water is polluted, this problem is often overlooked by the public. It can cause serious problems such as the spread of staph infections and loss of marine biodiversity, and it is important that the public be made more aware of it. One way that local communities and governments should prevent coastal pollution is through tighter regulation of agriculture and industry to prevent toxic runoff. To minimize the effects of pollution on humans, we should make pollution information more readily available and warn beach visitors if there is a chance of pollution in the water.
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