Gulf Oil Spill

Gulf Oil Spill

Identify the types of air and water pollutants that occurred because of this oil spill. Are these primary or secondary pollutants? Explain.

The Gulf of Mexico faced a disaster of oil spill on April 20, 2010 (Latimesblogs.latimes.com, 2010). The oil spill continued for 87 days before it was finally stopped on July 15th.the total amount spilled was approximately 184,755,550 gallons and it has devastating effects on the wild life and the marine life. It had a serious blow on the fishing and tourism industries which were the sole income for any of the communities that lived near the coast. Scientists have detected huge amounts of toxic chemicals like alkyl nitrates, methane, hexane and butane that can burn the eyes and skin. They can also cause a person to faint if exposed for some time and are the primary pollutants of the spill. The concentrations of these chemicals are relatively very high above the safety thresholds set by the government. The air is polluted and many of the cleaning workers at the spill were hospitalized due to respiratory complaints. The gases in the air are poisonous and causing damage for the people around.

What are the short- and long-term effects of this spill on the environment and wildlife?

There is a big threat to the environment in the short and long term. The oil clings to everything it touches, it is absorbed by the mangroves which damage the plants and make the whole area unsuitable for any living creature. The sea birds die and the migrating patterns of these birds are disrupted. The marine mammals like dolphins, whales and many others die as it is impossible for them to breathe. It has long term effects of destroying the wild life habitat and breeding areas. The eggs of sea turtle ...