Oil Spill Blog

Water pollution is the contamination or adulteration of the water bodies, such as rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and ground water by number of human activities. Since water is essential for all our basic needs, water pollution is a threat to us. Many communicable diseases spread through unclean water, which even results in death.

Although there are different factors that contribute to water pollution, listed below are the most dangerous causes of water pollution.

• Factories and nuclear plants play a major role in polluting the water. Wastes from factories include toxins, such as lead, mercury, and other contaminants. These chemicals are very harmful and can lead to serious health hazards.

• Nonpoint sources are one of the major causes of water pollution. Oil spills from cars, trucks, and other vehicles on land get mixed with rainwater and runoff into streams and lakes polluting them. These nonpoint sources are very difficult to monitor and control, so it falls on each individual to make sure that their vehicles used does not in any way contribute to further pollution. Proper maintenance of vehicles and oil spill cleanup using eco-friendly products, such as Oil Gone Easy S-200 will help to a great extent.

• Fertilizers and pesticides used in agricultural farms, homeowners lawns, and roadsides are a threat to the natural water source. When runoff into local streams or rivers or when drained down into groundwater, they contaminate the water completely.

• Mining is another major reason for water pollution. Heavy metals and sulfur components which are buried in the earth are exposed during mining and during rainfall these toxic chemicals are exposed, which ultimately result in “acid rain drainage”

• Surprising though it may seem, air pollution is also a cause of water pollution. Pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, nitric acid, and mercury, when deposited out of air results in nutrient pollution and acidification of lakes.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Global Program of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from the Land-based Activities (GPA) is an intergovernmental program that addresses linkages between water sheds and coastal environment. GPA is designed to provide practical guidance to national and regional authorities and help devise and implement actions to prevent, reduce, control, and eliminate marine degradation caused by land-based activities.

GPA was adopted by 109 governments in the year 1995. The European commission adopted the GPA and declared their commitment to protect and preserve the marine environment from harmful land-based activities.

Coastal waters and deep oceans are being polluted by contaminants like heavy metals, nuclear wastes, hydrocarbons, and other chemicals due to marine oil spills. Agricultural and industrial waste runoffs are also major sources of marine water pollution.

A global level action plan is required to clean up marine oil spills and prevent further accidents. GPA is being used as a valuable tool to increase the resilience of marine and coastal environment to changes in climate.

This action program also provides a comprehensive, multi-sectoral, and flexible approach to oil spill cleanups. GPA is proving to be an effective tool to stop devastation to marine life by oil spills and discharges. Oil spill cleanup is very essential to stop the destruction of marine life and in turn boost the fishing and tourism industry.

Bio degradable eco-friendly products should be used to clean up marine oil spills. Oil spill cleanup can be done using Oil Gone Easy Marine S-200, which is an oil eating liquid. This biodegradable product has been accredited by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Oil Gone Easy Marine S-200 has natural occurring microorganisms, which splits up hydrocarbons in oil into harmless compounds. This product is non irritating, non toxic, and non inflammable, which makes it very safe for use. Oil Gone Easy Marine S-200 can also be applied on rubber, metal, wood or fiberglass without any damage.

Popularity: 93% [?]

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has certain rules regarding oil spill cleanup. EPA had published the rules of the Facility Response Plan (FRP) on July 1, 1994. It listed persons who should prepare and submit the FRP and the points that must be included in the plan. Several revisions to the FRP rule were made including the requirements for animal fats and vegetable oils, which was finalized in 2000.

According to the Clean Water Act amended by the Oil Pollution Act, the EPA requires facilities that store and use oil to prepare and submit the Facility Response Plans. Facilities that may cause substantial harm should respond to the Facility Response Plans. All facility owners are also required to maintain a certification form for future EPA inspections.

The Regional EPA Administrator visits facilities to checkout factors like age of tanks, total oil storage capacity, lack of secondary containment, proximity to navigable waters, transfer operations, threat to animals and drinking water, and previous history of oil spills.

EPA expects the FRP to be consistent with the National Contingency Plan and applicable to the Area Contingency Plans. The plans must also identify worst cases of oil discharges to remove them effectively as soon as possible. It helps owners to improve their discharge prevention methods through early identification of risks involved. The facility’s name, location, and owner’s name along with training programs, unannounced drills, and response actions of people on the vessel or facility should be mentioned in the plan. The plan must be also be updated periodically for future references.

In case of oil spills, it is safer to use green cleaning technologies for oil spill cleanup than use harmful chemicals. Facilities can make use of biodegradable products for oil spill cleanup and oil stain removal from rocks and runways. Oil Gone Easy offers eco-friendly products like Oil Gone Easy S-200, which helps in cleaning oil spills without damaging the environment.

Popularity: 56% [?]

Several studies have been conducted by researchers the world over to address the various aspects of oil behavior during marine oil spills and oil spills on land. There may be many reasons for oil spills, but to ensure a successful oil spill response, it is very important to know the behavior of oil in different circumstances.

In marine oil spills the most common type of oil spilled is crude oil. When marine oil spills occur, the oil disperses rapidly in the same direction as the wind causing long and narrow slicks. The lighter fractions of the oil evaporate at a faster rate, whereas the denser particles tend to sink to the seabed, causing widespread harm to the aquatic life. Due to the wave action some oil even mixes with the water and emulsifies. The hierarchies on the food chain, from sea plankton to the largest of whales are greatly affected.

In contrast, on land, the lightest of oils prove to be a larger problem, as these oils seep through the soil at a much faster rate. This poses a risk to the purity of groundwater. The heavier and denser oils have higher viscosity and cannot penetrate through the ground easily. In cases of oil spills on land, spreading does not take place, so there will not be any evaporation of the lighter fractions or emulsification. The chance of the oil mixing with gravel, vegetation and other soil is also at hand.

The crucial steps in a response action plan include speedy response times, efficient control of widespread dispersion both on land and on sea, skimmers and pumps to take care of the resulting debris, and a temporary storage facility. Oil spill cleanup is one of the most important steps in any response plan. Oil Gone Easy S-200 is an eco-friendly oil spill cleaner that biodegrades any kind of oil, on any surface without causing any environmental harm.

Popularity: 56% [?]

Pollution may be defined as the contamination of the natural environment by addition of harmful substances. Basically, the source of pollution is differentiated into two types – point source pollution and nonpoint source pollution. When pollutants are discharged from a single source, then it is called as point source pollution. It could be from sewage discharge plants or industrial waste from companies. Large scale oil spills from oil tanks or ships are best examples of point source pollution.

Unlike point source pollution, the sources of nonpoint source pollution are very diverse. Rain water or flowing water picks up many contaminants including motor oil, grease, sand, wastes, and other toxic materials. These pollutants are finally deposited into waterways such as coastal waters, rivers, lakes, and underground water, thus polluting them. According to the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States, nonpoint source pollution is the number one cause of water quality problem in the country.

Even individual households contribute to nonpoint source pollution through improper usage of chemicals and pesticides and other household practices. Waste water from houses may contain toxic substances, such as oil, grease, metals, pesticides, and PCBs which are the major sources of nonpoint pollution. Motor oil spills from parking lots or runways, oil spilled from storage tanks or motor boats, and off-shore drilling operations are the leading sources of water pollution along shore lines and other areas.

The ecological impact of oil spills on marine as well as land animals can be terrible, which results in reduced flora and fauna. Oil spill cleanup, if done immediately helps prevent the spilled oil from being washed away by running water. You can use eco-friendly products offered by Oil Gone Easy for oil spill cleanup. These biodegradable products break down toxic substances into simple substances that do not cause water pollution.

Popularity: 51% [?]