The impacts of spilled oil on birds have long been known jessup and leighton, 1996. Oil spill problems and management in the niger delta. Angela eykelbosh environmental health and knowledge translation scientist in collaboration with. It affects surface resources and a wide range of subsurface organisms that are linked in a complex food chain that includes human food resources. Spilt oil can pollute streams, rivers and, if it soaks through the soil and rock, groundwater. Environmental sensitivity index esi maps are used to identify sensitive. Major oil spills occur occasionally and receive considerable public attention because of the obvious attendant environmental damage, including oil coated shorelines and dead or moribund wildlife, especially oiled seabirds and marine mammals. Oil spill pollution environmental pollution centers. The effects of oil spills at sea depend on numerous factors, such as the physicochemical parameters of the oil, the characteristics of the environment affected, and the physical, chemical, and biological processes occurring there, such as evaporation, dissolution, dispersion, emulsification, photooxidation, biodegradation, and sedimentation.
Feb 25, 2019 in general, oil spills can affect animals and plants in two ways. Aug 24, 2012 control of oil spills oil spills occur largely because there is a needdemand for oil has a source of energy. Crude oil spills in the environment, effects and some. Physical and chemical alteration of natural habitats, e. If we know the type of oil spilled, we can select the right response equipment and estimate the potential long term impacts. Download file to see previous pages this research paper examines one environmental factor that can have an adverse effect not only on the environment but also on the entire community. Environmental implications of oil spills from shipping accidents.
Oil is used extensively in industries to power large machinery and equipment. However, there is little firm evidence that seabirds suffer longterm effects from individual oil spills. Petroleum contamination is a growing environmental concern that harms both terrestrial and. Although petroleum products make life easier, finding, producing, and moving crude oil may have negative effects on the environment. The cleaning of the aftermath of the spills can cause dislocation of habitats for many organisms. The services work continues long after a spill event occurs. Accidents that impact the environment, such as large oil spills, leaks, fires and explosions on plants. Much of the oil we use is deep below the surface of the earth, oftentimes in the middle of the ocean. When we think of oil spills, we usually think of oil tankers spilling their.
Oil is toxic and harmful to plants and animals and a threat to their habitats. The effects of oil pollution are devastating and well documented. Some toxic substances in an oil spill may evaporate quickly. Potential environmental impacts of oil spills in greenland. When oils rigs malfunction, thousands of tons of oil can seep into the environment. We use oil to fuel our carstrucksbuses and so on as well as to heatlight up our homes.
The national oil and hazardous substances pollution. Heavy oils may affect several organism functions like respiration, feeding, and thermoregulation. How oil harms animals and plants in marine environments. Learn more about the effects of oil spills on marine ecosystems and some statistics on the worlds largest oil spills. Bp estimates oil spill rate up to 100,000 barrels per. Many oil spills later, and after some systematic studies of the effects of oil and. The environmental impact of oil spills has been extensively researched over the past 30 years and a considerable amount has been learnt about the nature and duration of such effects. Similarly, the lempertkeeneseastrand oil spill prevention and response ospr act of 1991 established the oil spill response program in california and directed the administrator of ospr to develop a research program designed to examine the effects of oil and oil spill response technologies on the environment. Effects of oil spills on marine and coastal wildlife1 edis.
A scientific appraisal of typical oil spill effects reveals that, while damage occurs and can be profound at the level of individual organisms, populations are more resilient. Oil spills can seriously affect the marine environment both as a result of physical smothering and toxic effects. Aug, 2016 given below are various possible adverse effects of oil pollution. Consequently, the effects of oil pollution are sufficiently well understood to allow for broad indications of the scale and duration of damage for a given incident. Pdf oil spill pdf oil spill pdf oil spill download. Although there can be no denying the scale of the impact of this particular spill on some vulnerable seabird species, evidence from past similar incidents indicates that the wellknown and sometimes dramatic shortterm effects of oil spills on marine animals and plants do not normally translate into longterm population effects. Pdf the environmental impacts of offshore oil drilling. Schematic diagram depicting the effects of a large oil spill.
Although the term oil spill often makes people think of spills in the ocean and coastal waters, such as in 2010 during the deepwater horizon oil spill in the gulf of mexico or the 1989 exxon. The spills studied were from the bargeflorida, and tankersarrow, argo merchant, amoco cadiz, andtsesis and. Aug 04, 2010 oil leaks or spills large and small are never good news in a marine and coastal environment. Emerging spill risks include increased maritime activity in the arctic, deepwater exploration and development, and the rapid expansion of rail transport of crude oil. The impact of oil spills can also ruin the infrastructure and economy of a particular area with the longterm effects being felt for decades.
To this end, multidisciplinary approach will be needed and will involve different fields of biology, chemistry, engineering, economics. Dispersed oil and the chemical response to oil spills. Oil pollution is a major threat to our ecosystem, especially the aquatic ecosystem. In 1989, the exxon valdez crashed onto the shore of prince william sound in alaska. Pdf oil spill in the united states there are more than 70 spills reported on an average day. When oil spill occurs, the oil being less dencse than water floats. Specifically it seeks to understand the deleterious impact of oil spillage on the physical. The accident contaminated 1,300 miles of coastline with 250,000 barrels, or 11 million gallons, of oil. Pdf as oil transportation worldwide continues to increase, many communities are at risk. Oil spill cleanup workers can face potential hazards from oil byproducts, dispersants, detergents and degreasers. The major focus of this research was on the oil spills near the gulf of mexico. Environmental effects of oil spills perspectives on the. Oil spills can have disastrous consequences for society. Niosh protected oil cleanup workers with the following efforts.
However, the state to which an environment returns after damage is usually unpredictable. The sticky oil clogs the gills and makes it impossible for them to breathe. For instance, oil spills can have a major impact on the temporary animal and fish loss of habitat. Biological recovery of an ecosystem damaged by an oil spill begins as soon as the toxicity or other damaging properties of the oil have declined to a level that is tolerable to the most robust colonizing organisms baker et al.
Spilled oil poses serious threats to fresh water and marine environments. This is because marine oil spills can have a serious economic impact on coastal. It could be crude oil or process oil which could be as a result of corrosions, equipment failure, sabotage etc. Unlike prior oil spills that occurred on the oceans surface, the bp oil spill occurred one mile down and dispersants were injected into the gushing plume of oil to purposely break up the oil into tiny, easily dispersed droplets for much of the spill. The 2010 deepwater horizon rig explosion and your health. Propagule and root deformities observed in january 1980 as response to the chronic effects of oil exposure after the 1978 howard star oil spill in tampa bay, florida 29 figure 2. This will also cause an increase in the competition for food. Table 2 summarizes the methods and principal findings of these studies.
Some international institutions like the world bank 2009, 2008, and the who, 2002, have equally reported facts on what constitute the causes and effects of oil and gas on a particular environment like the niger delta region. Final programmatic damage assessment and restoration plan and. The impact of the exxon oil spill lasted for decades. Options for minimizing environmental impacts of freshwater. Effects of oil in these systems have the potential to have longterm impacts on fish and wildlife populations. Candidate, resource management and environmental studies rmes, institute for. Oil leaks or spills large and small are never good news in a marine and coastal environment. Effects of oil spills oil spills have affected many people and many industries. Pdf environmental implications of oil spills from shipping accidents. Oil pollution occurs when crude oil and its refined products are spilled into the environment by the activities of man. The severity of impact typically depends on the quantity and type of oil spilt. The effects of oil spillage on aquatic environment in ilaje community, nigeria 20 the year 2000, about twenty four 24 cases of large crude oil spillages were recorded around the world including south africa when a bulk carrier called treasure carrying about 1,400 tonnes of oil sank off the coast of cape town 3. Cooperative aquatic toxicity testing of dispersed oil and the.
Most often, spilled oil strands on the shoreline and requires cleanup efforts, though care is needed to minimize additional harm that can slow overall recovery. The royal society of canada expert panel on the behaviour. All types of oil share chemical and physical properties that produce similar effects on the environment. Oil in the sea from anthropogenic sources, whether from spills or chronic releases, is perceived as a major environmental problem. Although there have been numerous oil spills in history, these two spills were chosen because they were the largest in volume and time. Causes and effects of oil spill on our environment earth. An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the. Oil can clog blowholes of whales and dolphins, making it impossible for them to breathe properly and disrupting their ability to communicate. The explosion of the bpleased deepwater horizon and subsequent oil spill stands as an indictment not just of.
Impact of oil on the environment when oil spills into the environment, plants, animals, and the ir habitats are injured. Pdf while oil is a necessary risk in a complex society, recent and avoidable major oil. The range of biological impacts after an oil spill can encompass. Technological advances in exploration, production, and transportation of oil and enforcement of safety and environmental laws and regulations help to avoid and reduce these effects. Jul 16, 2016 since oil floats, fish and other marine animals are not generally affected to the same extent as airbreathing vertebrates. Ecological impact of oil spills on the aquatic animals depends on the location of the oil spills and also on the sensitivity of the local organisms to oil pollution. For wildlife caught in an oil spill, being exposed to toxic petroleum products often results in lower reproductive rates, organ damage and death. Oil spill pollution refers to the negative polluting effects that oil spills have on the environments and living organisms, including humans, due to the environmental discharge of various organic compounds that make up crude oil and oil distillate products, the majority of which include various individual hydrocarbons. Oil spills can impact wildlife directly through three primary. The impacts of the deepwater horizon oil spill stretched beyond the. However, efforts for spill containment and recovery are considered to be only moderately effective. A release into the environment of heating oil includes any kind of spill or leak from your oil tank, oil delivery line or other part of your heating. Understanding oil spills and oil spill response pdf epa.
Health effects of oil spills and implications for public. Bp deepwater horizon oil spill and its economic impact. Oil spill effects on environments can be catastrophic. In the uk our drinking water supplies come from rivers and groundwater.
Instead, t he technologies employed by bp to respond to the. The report is available only in electronic format from neris homepage. Cumulatively over the course of the spill, oil was detected on over 43,300 square miles of the ocean, an area about the size of virginia. Domestic oil production has increased in recent years, and vast quantities of oil continually enter the country via vessel or pipeline, moving throughout the.
However, if the spills are in shallow or confined waters, or if dispersal agents cause a lot of oil to reach the sea floor, huge damage can be caused to these species. Pdf oil spill problems and management in the niger delta. Review on the effects of exposure to spilled oils on human health. When an oil spill happens there will be no entry of oxygen in the sea. The consequences of oil spills are more severe in aquatic ecosystem. This course explains what an oil spill is, describes the characteristics of an oil spill, and how to identify and control hazards during the response and cleanup phases of an oil spill. Oil spill effect on environment and community essay. Implications of oil spills for first nations communities health effects of oil spills.
Threats from oil spills us environmental protection agency. This will go a along way in mitigating the adverse effects of oil pollution of the environment. Oil is used in one way or another in our day to day activities. Oil spills adverse effects on marine environmental bio. Mar 19, 2015 oil spills also have indirect effects. These tiny droplets are much more available to living things than nondispersed oil. The objective of the workshop was to bring together the oil spill response community experienced andor responsible for responding to freshwater crude oil or petroleum product spills, and to develop strategies through. Ultimately, the impact of oil on marine organisms depends on the fate of the oil. Implications for impacted first nations communities lessons learned and good practices may 25, 2017 dr. The international tanker owners pollution federation ltd 1999. The effect of oil spills on land and water springerlink. The framework can be used to clarify the complexity of oil spill impacts, identify lessons that may. Understand the indirect effects of oil spills on ecological processes trophic level interactions investigate the cumulative and interactive effects of coexposure to oil and other human induced and natural environmental stressors study the resilience and recovery of aquatic ecosystems affected by oil spills.
Partnered with the occupational safety and health administration osha and national institute of environmental health sciences niehs to provide other federal and state partners, bp, and workers with guidance and educational materials for protecting response workers. This paper examined the effects of oil pollution on the environment. In a real oil spill,there is really no way to ever clean it up entirely and its hard, messy work. Oil spills have many adverse effects on the environment. Despite potential economic benefits, these proposals have roused. Understanding both types of impacts can help spill responders minimize overall impacts to ecological communities and help them to recover much more quickly. Natural variation and the huge range of factors that influence bird population statistics makes it difficult to assess the impact and recovery of a single event such as an oil spill. Oil and animals experts say the poisonous oil gets through the thin outer surface, called the membrane, of fish eggs. In some cases, nonpetroleum oil spills can produce more harmful effects than petroleum oil spills. The behavior and effects of oil spills in aquatic environments. Page 3 summary of information concerning the ecological and economic impacts of the bp deepwater horizon oil spill disaster overall area of impact oil spill cleanup operations are rarely capable.
Review article health effects of exposure to oil spills. This book focuses on one of the worst spills in history, the exxon valdez oil tanker spill, to explain in simple terms and with bold, fullcolor illustrations why oil spills happen, how they are cleaned up and what effects spilled oil has on our ocean plants and wildlife. The service responds to oil spills to minimize impacts to trust resources. An oil spill occurs somewhere in the world almost every day of the year. Causes, consequences, prevention, and countermeasures. Oil spills frequently kill marine mammals such as whales, dolphins, seals, and sea otters. Selected studies on the human health effects of oil spills. Longterm environmental impact of oil spills sciencedirect. Regulated facilities are required by the us environmental protection36. What are the causes and negative effects of oil pollution. Pipeline spills could have significant impacts on communities, environments, and economies. On a basic level, oil spill effects will damage waterways, marine life and plants and animals on the land. Potential environmental impacts of the oil and gas industry source.
The national institute of environmental health sciences niehs is part of the national institutes of health. In every case, oil spills pose a danger to fauna and flora and cause damage to sea and shores ecosystems. Short and longterm health impacts of marine and terrestrial oil spills. Oil coats fur of otters and seals, leaving them vulnerable to hypothermia. Their homes have been destroyed by the spills and they have to find a new place to settle. Health effects of oil spills and implications for public health planning and research angela eykelbosh, msc, phd introduction two major pipeline projects have been proposed to transport petroleum products from alberta to the british columbian coast. Summary of information concerning the ecological and. When oil spills occur in the marine environment, many species of wildlife in that ecosystem may be either directly or indirectly impacted. Candidate, resource management and environmental studies rmes. It is hoped that this information may be cast into a form that is usable by local officials and oil spill response professionals as part of the decision making process in the event of an oil spill. Detecting and mitigating oil spills background the deepwater horizon oil spill has revealed that the nations oil companies have spent very little money, when compared to their record breaking profits, to prevent and respond to oil spills. Leighton, 1993, with effects ranging from slight fouling requiring no treatment to acute mortality from hypothermia to acutechronic toxicity from ingested petroleum. Final programmatic environmental impact statement page 21 2.
Gulf of mexicos waters, plants, animals, and habitats. Therefore, plant, animal, and human exposure to the most toxic substances are reduced with time, and are usually limited to the initial spill area. Environmental response team, the epa office of research and development, the u. The identification of an oil spill triggers the mobilization of personnel and equipment to protect the health and safety of the public, and to detect, contain, and recover the spilled oil while minimizing impacts to communities and the environment. The behaviour and environmental impacts of crude oil released. As the name implies, an oil spill refers to any uncontrolled release of crude oil, gasoline, fuels, or other oil byproducts into the environment. Talking about oil spills, it causes long term damages along with a lot of small damages which affect the entire environment. Background and governance congressional research service summary oil is a primary source of energy in the united states. The national oil and hazardous substances pollution contingency plan 40 cfr part 300, referred to subsequently as the national contingency plan ncp, is the principal federal mechanism for operations pertaining to the identification, containment, and cleanup of releases of oil and hazardous substances in the coastal united states. Lasting damage to lands and waterways is one major negative consequence when oil finds its way into the environment. Keep in mind that the kind of oil that spills from oil tankers and wells into the ocean is much different from the cooking oil that we usedit is thick, black, and sticky. Larissa graham, christine hale, emily maungdouglass, stephen sempier, tara skelton, ladon swann, and monica wilson.
The effects of oil spillage on aquatic environment in ilaje. As previously described, when oil is present in the environment, it is either dispersed in the top layer of the water littoral zone or remains on the surface and, consequently, on. Oil spills, blowouts, deepwater horizon, ixtoc i, marine. North carolina, niehs responded immediately to the 2010 deepwater horizon oil rig explosion, by providing safety training. Environmental studies at queens university, and a past president of the society of. In laboratory tests of the toxicity of crude oils to winkles, ottway recorded mortalities ranging from 1% to 89%. Sea plants are very important for the survival of marine animals. Chapter five discusses in greater detail how oil spills impact wildlife. Oil spills have a number of effects on the environment and economy. Potential environmental impacts of oil spills in greenland nationalt. Depending on the magnitude of the spill and its location, the effects can vary, ranging from minimal to serious ones. As a result, our predictive capability is probably better for oil spills than for many other types of marine pollutant. When an oil spill occurs, many elements of the environment may be affected.