Pacific Environment Urges IMO to Halt Harmful Scrubber Discharges in Eye-Opening ‘Poison in the Water’ Report

Pacific Environment, a US-based environmental group, has published a report urging the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to immediately ban the discharge of scrubber wastewater into oceans.

The IMO’s Pollution Prevention and Response Subcommittee will meet in London from January 27 to January 31, 2025.

The report is titled “Poison in the Water: The Call to Ban Scrubber Discharge, The Health and Environmental Costs Industry Wants Us to Ignore”. It highlights the serious risks to the environment and human health posed by unrestricted scrubber use. The report argues that inaction could lead to dire ecological and economic consequences.

Kay Brown, Arctic Policy Director at Pacific Environment, stated, “Without a ban on the use of scrubbers, ecosystems and coastal communities will remain at risk. Human health will also be increasingly compromised.” She emphasizes that scrubber discharge poses a danger to our waters and marine life.

The report outlines several critical findings:

• Scrubber Economics: Most ships with scrubbers have already recouped their installation costs. Removing scrubbers is often financially achievable. However, the damage caused to marine ecosystems can lead to costs amounting to millions, which shifts the burden onto other stakeholders.
• Environmental Impact: Scrubber wastewater is toxic, much hotter, and can be up to 100,000 times more acidic than surrounding waters. It contains harmful pollutants like heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which can accumulate in marine life, even in tiny amounts.
• Health Risks: Scrubber discharge can enter the human food chain through contaminated seafood. Exposure to pollutants is linked to severe health problems, including lung issues and potential developmental abnormalities in children.
• Community Concerns: Indigenous and subsistence fishing communities face significant risks due to disruption of marine ecosystems from scrubber use. Toxic algal blooms and the presence of heavy metals can threaten both their health and food security.

This report builds on earlier work from Pacific Environment, which documented the harmful effects of scrubbers in marine environments and called for their ban. Since 2020, the number of ships using scrubbers has skyrocketed from 243 to over 7,400 by early 2025, according to Clarksons Research.

In related developments, the German environmental group NABU, alongside 14 other organizations, has written to the OSPAR Commission. They’re advocating for a ban on the use of heavy fuel oil and scrubbers, particularly in coastal areas.