Essay about Oil Spills and How They Affect The Environment

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Oil Spills and How They Affect The Environment

Oil spills, no matter how small or large, effect the worlds environment by their destroying and poisoning any habitat they come in contact with, mainly the water though. These spills can be devastating because they disrupt what we know as the food chain. The food chain starts with producers who are ate by small animals which are ate by larger and larger animals until the top predator is reached, humans. Oddly enough, humans are the main reason the food chain is being destroyed. In our fight to reach economic prosperity we rarely take in consideration the environment, which is partially what life is based on. If one part in this chain fails they
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In Mexico, 1979, the Ixtoc spilled an estimated 800,000 tons of oil into the water. Of this, about 10,000 caught fire. This causes smoke to pollute the air, and the ashes that were created were carried overland for hundreds of miles, killing animals and one or two humans. This is people when the air blew the ash miles away, because unknowingly drank polluted water and inhaled toxic air. About 114,000 tons of that oil started to biodegrade[2], which means the petroleum of the oil break down into simpler substances.

Harsh types of oil can burn eyes, burn skin, irritate or damage sensitive membranes in the nose, eyes and mouth. Hydrocarbons can trigger pneumonia if it enters lungs. Benzine, toluene and other light hydrocarbons of oil and fuels if inhaled, are transferred rapidly to the bloodstream from the lungs and can damage red blood cells, suppress immune systems, strain the liver, spleen and kidneys and even interfere with the reproductive system of animals and humans. As you can tell, there is a very serious health risk involved to humans.

In general, refined petroleum products tend to be more toxic to organisms but less spread in the environment. Crude oils and heavy fuel oils like bunker fuels tend to be less toxic but are more easily spread and more likely to have physical impacts on wildlife examples would

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