Oils Spills / 2014 7
Economic Repercussions
Oil spills can put industries that rely on seawater at severe risk. Power stations and water desalination plants, which rely heavily on large quantities of seawater, are at particularly high risk. If they intake water from the surface, they are more likely to draw in floating oil. Shipyards, ports, and harbours can also be disrupted by oil spills and clean-up operations, causing longer term economic impact.
Marine boats used to catch marine species can be impacted by oil spills. Nets and other floating apparatus can cause severe problems for these industries, as the floating oil contaminates them. Less common is sunken, or dispersed heavier oils that can cause undersea nets to be compromised.
Fisherman are posed with significant difficulty, as the contamination of fish populations and captured stock colonies, can cause declines in the numbers. Precautionary bans are often implemented immediately after oil spills to preserve the integrity of stocks. Stock colonies are particularly vulnerable, especially if nets or other containers are contaminated (3).
A direct consequence is the exorbitant funds and effort that must be invested to safely clean up an oil spill. Problems arise when companies like BP and Shell don't take full responsibility for their actions. When chemical dispersants are used, they harm the ecosystem even more and don't necessarily help clean up the spills. Spills cost millions to clean up (17).
Health Effects
Health Effects
Humans are also affected by oil spills. The presence of such large quantities of oil in communities can cause severe problems such as contaminated drinking water and land. Cancer-causing agents (carcinogens) are present in these areas. One such community is Ogoniland, Nigeria, where the citizens face waters contaminated with high levels of carcinogenic benzene due to years of oil production. Nearly eight centimeters of oil were found floating on top of the water. The spill has killed tens of thousands of people and livestock so far (17).