Pharmaceuticals and other drugs: Active pharmaceutical ingredients also known as APIs can cause dangerous effects to lifeforms, mainly in regards to contaminants in waterways. These contaminants commonly contain: carbamazepine, metformin, and caffeine. These can affect wildlife in many different ways, one of the main ways is species responding less frequently to reproduction. Places with higher API sites also have worse waste management in general.

Pollution of these drugs not only affect life forms but also the environment. Studies in the 1990s described a disturbing realization that drug pollution was causing the feminization of fish, which means less reproduction. Fish aren't the only ones whose reproduction cycle is affected; however, many invertebrates are also being disturbed. High enough doses of these drugs can also cause death, birth defects, abnormal behavior, and illness in wildlife.
 

Other pollutants are runoff caused by nonpoint source pollution, which comes from many sources such as lawn fertilizer, or point source pollution, like oil spills. Nonpoint source pollution is the more common of the two and is also one of the most common sources of pollution in general. Especially in regards to fertilizers, pesticides, herbaceuticals, and cleaning supplies. Fertilizers cause an over abundance in Nitrogen, which is one of the main causes of algae blooms and dead zones. Pesticides and herbaceuticals can cause API sites and can cause bird, fish, and amphibian populations to go down thanks to lack of food supply. Cleaning supplies can poison our waterways and cause toxic reactions with other chemicals, which can easily kill or cause illness. 

Biomagnification is also a serious problem we must worry about that is the direct effect of oceanic pollution, namely from chemicals. Biomagnification is also a big reason why so many more diseases, birth deficits, and health issues are affecting our modern life. If we can't stop Biomagnification then it won;t just be wildlife dying but humans as well. Biomagnification is when toxic chemicals or substances travel up the food chain. So if a sea bird eats a contaminated fish it also gets contaminated, then a human could eat that bird and get contaminated themselves. This is a big reason why chemical waste and contamination of our ocean waters is such a big deal. One way or another those effects will negatively affect us and our offspring.
 

How can you help prevent chemical waste and runoff into our oceans? Well it's quite simple, by using less. You can use less pesticides, bug sprays, fertilizers, water, herbaceuticals, and cleaning products. If you don’t want to stop using or reduce your consumption of these products then you need to be mindful of how you use them, where you're buying them, and what happens to them after you're finished with them. With water consumption there are a couple ways you can reduce your waste: you can turn off all your water when you're not immediately using it; take shorter showers; make sure your sprinklers are only hitting your lawn and plants; and if your HOA allows it, have a xeriscape lawn. Another way you can help is by spreading the word. The more people who know and support these changes, the more likely that this change can happen. Politicians and companies will support these changes if we, the people, support them. Since in the end the people are the ones who give them money, if people only buy environmentally friendly products then companies will only sell those kinds of products. The same logic follows law makers.