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Oil Spill Effects

When an oil spill occurs, humans, wildlife and the environment may be affected. Depending on the magnitude of the spill and its location, the effects vary from minimal to serious ones.

Usually, the oil spills occurring in a water environment (e.g., ocean or seas, or leaks from rigs ending up in water) are rapidly degraded as compared to oil spills on land or in subsurface environment. However, if an aquatic oil spill is substantial enough (such as in the case of Exxon Valdez 1989 spill or the April 2010 BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico from offshore drilling) then the effects on marine life, birds, humans and ecosystems (including marshes and wetlands, as well as shorelines or gulf coasts) could be serious. In order to understand the type and magnitude of oil spill effects, we need to first understand the fate and transport of spilled oil. In other words we should first understand what is expected to happen with spilled oil due to our knowledge of its characteristics and past spills. Accordingly, we will briefly review the fate and transport of spilled oil and its effects on the environment, followed by the listing of the main effects such spill may have on humans, marine life (especially fish), animals (wildlife) and generally on the environment.

Oil Spill Effect on Environment

The general fate & transport of spilled oil dictates its environmental effects and mainly involves:

  • oil ability to accumulate on top of water bodies forming oil slicks or non-aqueous phase liquids which is generally more resistant to degradation and natural attenuation than the dissolved compounds. From such oil slicks evaporation of many volatile components of oil spill is the dominant process when the oil slick is contact with air such as in marine spills.
  • the dissolution of certain more soluble oil compounds happens in time along with some dispersion, diffusion and advection (movement with water).
  • while the mechanisms (from above) contribute to the reduction of oil spill and an increase efficiency of oil spill cleanup, they also increase the mobility of oil resulting in potential spreading of oil spill over large areas. These complicate Coast Guard cleanup measures taken in the case of marine spills, for example.
  • Additionally, the persistence of many individual oil components make them accumulate in the environment and living organisms

Oil Spill Effect on Humans, Marine Life, Wildlife

The effects of oil spills on humans, fish, animals, birds and wildlife in general, these are mainly due to:

  • the direct contact with the spilled oil including breathing of volatilized oil components (hydrocarbons) from the spill;
  • the direct contact with environment polluted with spilled oil components (some of which may persist for long time) – such as drinking polluted water or breathing polluted dust particles
  • the consumption of polluted food (at any level within the food chain, having a higher risk for higher levels such as humans and animals).

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