Oil Spills KATY WILDER HUMAN HEALTH AND THE

Oil Spills KATY WILDER HUMAN HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT

q 257 million gallons of oil go into our water supplies each year q 1 quart of oil can contaminate 250, 000 gallons of water

o. In 2001 the world oil production was 9. 3 million tonnes per day o. In 2000 the daily world consumption of oil was 76 million barrels a day (11 million tonnes)

What is OIL? -Organic compound that is insoluble or not readily soluble to water -Vast mixture of hydrocarbons -Marine animals which lived millions of years ago that got buried deep within the ocean and over the years became decayed and produced petroleum oil

What is an Oil Spill? An accidental or intentional discharge of oil which reaches a body of water

-Lubricants -Fuels -Dyes -Drugs -synthetic fibers -Plastics

Effects On Humans -Clean up of spills -Inhalation of burning oils -Industry (need oil to run power plants) -Contaminated fish causing food poisoning -Effect on Local Economy

Effects on Marine Life

§ Spread of Oil § Type of oil spilled § The location of the spill § Timing of the spill § Variety of species in specific location § Number of Habitats affected by spill

Sea Birds 1. Physical Contact - Destroys down & feathers - Susceptible to cold & hypothermia 2. Toxic Contamination - Effects Reproduction - Oil getting in egg & affecting embryo - Inhalation affects CNS & lungs

-Ingestion leads to secondary organ dysfunction -Congested lungs, damages airways, emphysema -Gastrointestinal damage due to inhalation of oil droplets - Eye and skin lesion due to continual exposure -Stress

Effects on Marine Habitat -Coral reefs- animals that live here are subject to contamination and smothering from the oil -Tidal flats – oil can seep into the muddy bottom and cause harmful affects to the ecology of the area -Salt marshes – home to variety of plant, bird, and animals is easily susceptible to oil pollution -Sea-bottoms – if oil clumps seep to the bottom it can destroy living conditions for bottom living animals and nursing grounds for fish and shell-fish

Sea Turtles, Fish & Shell Fish v. Turtlesv. Damage to Eyes, Airways, & Lungs from breathing in oil slick v. Damage to turtle eggs on beaches v. Unborn turtles can cause damage to organs, inflammation, infection v. Fish v. Take in oil through gills v. Change in heart rate v. Enlarged liver, reduced growth v. Little is known about shell fish (can’t eat them)

Exxon Valdez -Ran aground on the Bligh Reef -Spilled 10. 9 million gallons of oil -Affected 1, 100 miles of ocean

-Ran aground due to stormy weather & steering error - 1, 619, 048 barrels spilled into the sea -Affected 200 miles of coastline & 76 beaches

Oil Spill Clean up

1. Leave the oil

2. Booms or Skimmers

3. Dispersants

4. Biological Agents -

Oil Spill Prevention -Double Hull Ships -Well Maintained vessel -Navigation system - Educated Crew - Surveillance - Updated reception facilities

Resources (2004). Retrieved November 28, 2008, from How To Clean Up Oil Spills: http: //www. ocean. udel. edu/oilspill/cleanup. html Beamish, T. (2002). Silent Spill. London: The MIT Press. Burger, J. (1997). Oil Spills. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press. Clevland, C. (August , 2006 28). The Encyclopedia of Earth. Retrieved November 28, 2008, from Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: http: //www. eoearth. org/article/Exxon_Valdez_oil_spill Donald Boesch, Carl Hershner, Jerome Milgram. (1974). Oil Spills and the Marine Environment. Cambridge: Ballinger Publishing Company. Global Marine Oil Pollution Information Gateway. (n. d. ). Retrieved November 28, 2008, from http: //oils. gpa. unep. org/facts. htm Incident News. (n. d. ). Retrieved November 27, 2008, from Amoco Cadiz: http: //www. incidentnews. gov/incident/6241/