Intro:
On April 20th of 2010, the BP oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven people who were aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig were killed on that day due to the explosion (BP Oil Spill, 2015). Aside from the danger from the initial sinking of the oil rig, the oil that entered the environment after the explosion aroused suspicion of being dangerous as well. The issue that is present due to the leak is that the oil which was released into the ocean is harmful to the environment. The issue can be considered a global issue because it affected many states, especially those bordering the Gulf, such as Louisiana, and of course Mexico. Not to mention, economic struggles were also introduced when the spill happened in 2010.
Science Part:
Deep …show more content…
A teratogen is a chemical that interferes with normal development of embryos and fetus’. As said by Paul Goldstein who is a professor in toxicology, which is the study of chemical risks, “Crude oil and its components are known teratogens and cause birth defects, changes in fetal development, and decreased fetal survival.” A large part of crude oil is called Benzene which is identified as a carcinogen, or a chemical that causes cancer (Paul Goldstein, 2010). The threshold for breathing in benzene is only a couple of minutes (Paul Goldstein, 2010). People can only breathe in fumes of crude oil for so long before the sub-lethal effects of crude oil begin to appear. Sub-lethal effects include many symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, troubled breathing, etc. (Paul Goldstein, 2010). The threshold for contact with crude oil is very small and can immediately cause vomiting, diarrhea, and skin reactions (Paul Goldstein, 2010). Not only was the BP oil spill releasing harmful teratogens, but the spill also allowed for the oil to leak into the ocean. In Paul Goldstein’s article, “Effects of Crude Oil Exposure”, he mentions that “Crude oil is not readily biodegradable,” which would suggest that oil isn’t very …show more content…
To begin, there were many forms of cleanup after the spill. For example, according to Alberto Cuadro and Bonnie Berkowitz from The Washington Post, one method of cleanup for the BP Oil Spill was the use of oil booms. Different oil booms could do different things like block oil from dispersing further into the ocean or absorb liquid oil (Alberto Cuadra and Bonnie Berkowitz, 2010). Other forms of cleanup used during the Oil spill were dispersants used to break up the oil or even separating off sections of thick crude oil with booms and setting it ablaze (Alberto Cuadra and Bonnie Berkowitz, 2010). With the combination of these methods and more methods like skimming vessels or wiping marsh grass, it is understandable why some may think that oil spills can be easily taken care
On April 20th of 2010, the BP oil spill occurred in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven people who were aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig were killed on that day due to the explosion (BP Oil Spill, 2015). Aside from the danger from the initial sinking of the oil rig, the oil that entered the environment after the explosion aroused suspicion of being dangerous as well. The issue that is present due to the leak is that the oil which was released into the ocean is harmful to the environment. The issue can be considered a global issue because it affected many states, especially those bordering the Gulf, such as Louisiana, and of course Mexico. Not to mention, economic struggles were also introduced when the spill happened in 2010.
Science Part:
Deep …show more content…
A teratogen is a chemical that interferes with normal development of embryos and fetus’. As said by Paul Goldstein who is a professor in toxicology, which is the study of chemical risks, “Crude oil and its components are known teratogens and cause birth defects, changes in fetal development, and decreased fetal survival.” A large part of crude oil is called Benzene which is identified as a carcinogen, or a chemical that causes cancer (Paul Goldstein, 2010). The threshold for breathing in benzene is only a couple of minutes (Paul Goldstein, 2010). People can only breathe in fumes of crude oil for so long before the sub-lethal effects of crude oil begin to appear. Sub-lethal effects include many symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, troubled breathing, etc. (Paul Goldstein, 2010). The threshold for contact with crude oil is very small and can immediately cause vomiting, diarrhea, and skin reactions (Paul Goldstein, 2010). Not only was the BP oil spill releasing harmful teratogens, but the spill also allowed for the oil to leak into the ocean. In Paul Goldstein’s article, “Effects of Crude Oil Exposure”, he mentions that “Crude oil is not readily biodegradable,” which would suggest that oil isn’t very …show more content…
To begin, there were many forms of cleanup after the spill. For example, according to Alberto Cuadro and Bonnie Berkowitz from The Washington Post, one method of cleanup for the BP Oil Spill was the use of oil booms. Different oil booms could do different things like block oil from dispersing further into the ocean or absorb liquid oil (Alberto Cuadra and Bonnie Berkowitz, 2010). Other forms of cleanup used during the Oil spill were dispersants used to break up the oil or even separating off sections of thick crude oil with booms and setting it ablaze (Alberto Cuadra and Bonnie Berkowitz, 2010). With the combination of these methods and more methods like skimming vessels or wiping marsh grass, it is understandable why some may think that oil spills can be easily taken care