As reported in fish, birds show a change in feeding habits and metabolism. There also have been reports of liver damage. This has lead to increased stress on an already stress population. Fish, birds, and mammals have all shown cases of lethal exposure to chlorinated hydrocarbons. Symptoms of infections include respiratory difficulty, sluggishness, and neurological complications leading ultimately to death.
Chlorinated hydrocarbons can negatively effect an estuary.
One it reaches the substrate of the estuary, it becomes part of the very bases of the food chain. Studies have shown that photosynthesis diminishes in phytoplankton in the presence of chlorinated hydrocarbon. As phytoplankton is the bases of the aquatic food chain this can have serious repercussions on all of the global community.