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Oil Spill Effect on Humans

The main effects of oil spills on humans may be due to direct and indirect contact with the spill. The main oil spill effects on humans include a variety of possible health effects, economic impact, as well as recreational and aesthetic.

The main oil spill effects on humans are synthesized below:

  • A variety of health effects (from minor illnesses to serious conditions possibly including cancers) from:
    • Direct exposure to oil spill – a variety of health effects may develop when the oil spill occurs close to where people live or work and may come in contact with humans through breathing gaseous oil compounds and/or oil compounds adsorbed on particulate matter (dispersed through air). Another exposure pathway may relate to activities in contaminated ground (e.g., soil) or through skin adsorption when touching spilled material.
    • Indirect exposure through consumption of contaminated food or water – especially relevant in the case of consumption of fish that was in contact or in an oil spill polluted environment. This is because some oil components have ability to “bioaccumulate” in living organisms. This means that if a fish lives in a polluted environment, it will keep adsorbing in its body some oil components (without excretion) which may reach concentrations several orders of magnitude higher than those of the surrounding waters. Through consumption of such polluted fish meat, humans may become seriously exposed to higher concentrations of oil components than in the surrounding environment or as compared to ingestion of the polluted water or bathing in the polluted water.
  • Economical impact by:
    • Long-term ceasing of activities such as fishing in polluted waters – for example the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico had already impacted many local fisherman and fisheries normal activity and this looks like a long-term effect due to the very large amount of spilled oil
    • Reduction of property value – depending on the magnitude of the oil spill, this negative effect (on property value) apply not only to those properties directly affected by the oil spill, but to all the properties in a certain area exposed to oil spill pollution or of risk to become polluted at some point in time;
    • Reduction of tourism in affected areas;
    • Disturbance of traffic (e.g., marine traffic) – affecting import-export activities
    • Recreational and aesthetic impact – obviously relates to the visible effects of oil spill (e.g., oil slick, sheens) on coast waters, shorelines and beaches, wetlands, etc. When more serious, the complete closure of such recreational areas to general public enjoyment may also occur, at least temporary, until the spill is removed or cleanup.

If you believe oil spill pollution might have affected you in any of the specific ways described above, please contact us.