Persuasive Essay On Oil Pollution

The media is consumed with the news of a single event. News anchors dart about, clusters of people in yellow jumpsuits line the beach, and groups of boats encircle the harbor waters. A collision occurred between a crude oil tanker and a barge caused thousands of barrels to leak into the surrounding ocean. The visible damage is shocking; the vibrant blues and greens of the ocean have been diminished to a dull cloudy brown. Volunteers are walking along the coast collecting shellfish in order to protect them from shoreline contamination. Many scientists argue that oil pollution will not last indefinitely in the environment, which is true only from a certain perspective. Environmental damage from a single oil spill can be found on shores

The Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association claims that there are four main methods of response: leave the oil alone to break down by natural means, contain the spill with booms and collect it from the water surface using skimmer equipment, use dispersants to break up the oil and speed its natural biodegradation, and to introduce biological agents to the spill to hasten biodegradation (Stewart). A major step is determining which type of oil has been leaked, since light and heavy oils require different means of being cleaned up. Heavy crude oil tends to gather in a thin layer at the top of the ocean, so booms are often used with skimmer equipment to gather the oil. If a light oil has been leaked, it may be left alone to dissipate via natural means depending on the quantity (“How Do You Clean Up An Oil Spill”). Hannah Waters with the Smithsonian Magazine addressed the popular misconception about oil spills: that crude oil will last indefinitely in the Gulf of Mexico, “Oil that dissolves into or mixes with water can be broken down by bacteria—and, fortunately, the Gulf of Mexico is loaded with oil-eating bacteria.” Oil eating bacteria feed on chemicals found in the crude oil while they breathe nitrogen from the air. In the event of an oil spill or leak, populations of these bacteria will increase sharply. However even

The textbook Ocean Our Planet by Robert Stewart explains that when exposed to high concentrations of heavy oil animals become physically smothered in crude oil, causing dire health effects. Fortunately, most of the toxic components are released through evaporation when the oil is spilled, “Because of this, lethal concentrations of toxic components leading to large scale mortalities of marine life are relatively rare, localized and short-lived. Sublethal effects that impair the ability of individual marine organisms to reproduce, grow, feed or perform other functions can be caused by prolonged exposure to a concentration of oil or oil components far lower than will cause death.” (Stewart). Emily Boehm for the Wildlife Society states that, “Damage to the kidneys, liver, red blood cells, and digestive tract is imminent if oil is ingested, and simply inhaling fumes from the oil can lead to pneumonia, neurological damage, and behavioral abnormalities [in animals].” The physical attributions of the species accounts for what effect the oil will have on them. When marine animals are exposed to heavy crude oil their fur becomes coated with the substance. The hair normally traps a thin layer of air which provides insulation from the cold surrounding waters, however exposure to oil rearranges the alignment of the hair causing the layer of air to