Oil Spill Blog

The oil spill that occurred in the Michigan River has been declared as the “largest oil spill in the history of the Midwest.” With more than 80,000 gallons of oil being released into a creek and making its way into the Kalamazoo River, a state of emergency was declared in southwest Michigan’s Kalamazoo County.

Morrow Lake a recreation spot between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo was also contaminated because of this oil spill. As with any oil spill birds and fishes have also been affected. The spill has also led to the evacuation of few homes and relocation of about two dozen people.

Jeff Spoelstra, coordinator for the Kalamazoo River Watershed Council, said that this disaster has further pushed back the effort that was being taken to cleanup the already polluted river. Crews were dispatched for oil spill cleanup by both Enbridge Energy Partners and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To limit the oil’s spread into the surrounding wetlands, skimmers and 28,000 feet of boom were also set up.

At the Ceresco Dam, downstream from the leak, workers used vacuum trucks to cleanup the oil spill from the water. When the air near the oil spill was tested, cancer-causing chemical benzene was found present. As it was only in trace levels, it was termed harmless to the residents. Groundwater testing was also proposed, to check if the oil might have seeped through.

People have been advised by the Michigan Department of Community Health to stay away from the river during the oil spill cleanup. Although oil spill containment has been done, it is expected to take months to completely clean up the oil spill. The oil spill has been contained, but for further cleanup of the remaining oil, the officials can give heed to the recommendation made by State of Louisiana to use Oil Gone Easy S-200 for effective oil spill cleanup.

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The moment we come across an oil spill, one remedy that strikes our mind is the use of oil spill dispersants. Though we’re aware that these dispersants can help contain an oil spill, most of us don’t know its exact working mechanism. We don’t even know if they are a boon or bane. If you have the same doubts in your mind, then read on!

Pros:

Here are some advantages of using oil spill dispersants

• Oil spill dispersants change the chemical and physical properties of oil so that it mixes better with water.

• Oil spill dispersants when used efficiently can prove to be a effective method of oil spill containment.

Cons:

Though using dispersants may seem like a fair idea, it has several drawbacks

• First and foremost, once dispersants break down oil in the deep water, the oil gets to the top surface, which is then contained using booms. But, what makes their use not advisable is the fact that they cannot be used near the shore. If used, they might be even toxic than the oil itself. For instance, Corexit, the dispersant being used in the containment of the recent Gulf oil spill is a kerosene-based dispersant and can be considered hazardous. Also, EPA recommends the use of this dispersant only at depths of 75 meters or deeper.

• Dispersants can be effective only when used within 1 or 2 days after an oil spill, after which natural weathering makes the oil more complex to disperse.

• Dispersed oil also stands the risk of entering the food chain as there are chances of the oil being consumed by planktons.

• Viscous oil cannot be dispersed effectively using chemical dispersants since the oil may run off into the water even before the solvents can penetrate.

Since chemical oil spill dispersants’ cons overweigh pros, you can think of using eco-friendly cleaners, such as Oil Gone Easy S-200, which works using bioremediation technique, to cleanup oil spills.

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Oil spills on highways; most of us would never have given a second thought to them. But, once you just get a glimpse of their damaging effects, the impact will remain in your minds for a long time. In case of an oil spill on highways, not only are the people who live and drive in the nearby area exposed, but also the ocean’s, which may seem many miles away, are affected.

Here are some of the major impacts of oil spills that occur on highways:

• Highways are probably one area that is filled with a variety of toxic chemicals, including fuel and brake fluids. But how many of us are aware that the fuel spilt as a result of accidents and leaks from vehicles, reaches the nearby rivers and drains, when it rains? As estimated, the amount of oil leaked from highway runoff from a single large city is almost equal to that resulting from a tanker spill.

• Oil spill on a highway has one more profound impact; it makes the driving surface extremely slippery. The conditions get even worse when it rains, especially in areas with lower rainfall. It’s because of the fact that in such areas oil leaks from cars accumulate over long periods making the roads more slippery when it eventually rains.

• Well, this is not the end! Spills on highway can also affect public health. Apart from causing irritation to human skin, exposure to oil can increase the susceptibility to cancer. Also, since the runoff from highways contaminates the oceans, even marine life is affected and eventually the people who consume contaminated marine food.

Having gotten a fair idea about the effects of small or large oil spills on highways, you’ll no longer wonder about the importance of immediate oil spill containment. So, if you happen to come across an oil spill, then immediate response using eco-friendly oil spill cleaners, such as Oil Gone Easy S-200 may prove fruitful.

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As the whole world is busy thinking of a solution to the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster, here comes the Singapore oil spill. Though not as disastrous as the Gulf Oil spill, it has equally raised concerns regarding our take on the bendable rules and regulations.

The collision of an oil tanker and the bulk carrier in the deep waters between Singapore and Malaysia has raised questions about the oil transportation norms. In Singapore oil spill, the sea has been polluted with almost 5000 tons of crude oil, resulting in the closure of 4.3 miles of the coastline.

As the scale of pollution was minor, the oil spill cleanup operations measures seem to have worked here. The Singapore Maritime and Port Authority who took up the daunting task of cleaning up oil spill now claim that the waters at Changi and the East Coast have “returned to normal.”

For oil spill cleanup, they incorporated several methods. They tried to contain the oil spill by sucking up the spilled oil in the empty containers of MT Bunga Kelana 3. The Pengerang waters were also safeguarded with three boats as a safety measure. The Malaysian and the Singapore water ways were also put under constant watch such that no new boats enter the oil spill area and further spread the pollution.

Around 20 vessels and 200 personnel were employed for oil spill cleanup. For oil spill containment, booms are also lined up near the oil tanker. And most of all, they used biodegradable cleaners to break up the oil. The warm temperature of the tropics seems to have worked for dispersal of oil.

The Government of Singapore and Malaysia has undoubtedly done a good job using biodegradable dispersants. It’s not too late for BP, who still appears to be at loss about dealing with the oil spill cleanup. It would be a wise decision to go in for biodegradable products like Oil Gone Easy S-200.

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The Deepwater Horizon oil rig blew up on April 20th 2010 making the Gulf of Mexico inhabitable. This recent oil spill is the courtesy of BP who obviously unwilling to take the blame. Calling this an oil spill would definitely be a soft said word owing to the gallons of oil this exploded drilling platform belches out every day.

The safety equipment that includes a blowout preventer, which is nothing but a large pile of seafloor shut-off valves that apparently seemed to have failed. One of the reasons may be the fact that the BP well failed to have any remote-control or acoustically-activated backup blowout preventer switch, which could be used in case of an emergency that required a rig to be evacuated.

Although BP has claimed to pay to cleanup this colossal wreck in the Gulf of Mexico, the after effects of this oil spill are sure above human conclusions. The toxic components of the oil spill have already become a threat to the marine life, not to mention the loss of revenue as well. As feared if the oil manages to reach the beaches, tourism, especially Florida tourism stands the risk of losing billions of dollars from tourism.

Keeping in view the 1,300 miles of Alaska coastline in 1989, it would not be wrong to say that the oil washing onto land in Gulf of Mexico estuaries would not be easy to cleanup. Also the ill-effects associated the use of harmful dispersants used for oil spill containment tend to do more harm than good. Hence several environment contractors are promoting the use of an environmentally-friendly product called Oil Gone Easy S-200 for oil spill cleanup.

Even if in future the oil spill disaster contained miraculously at some point of time, it is certainly going to take a life time for the eco-system to cope with it and come back to its original form.

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In the recent past, due to extensive industrialization and urbanization oil spill contamination has become a primary concern. One of the most extensive contaminations through oil spills, especially crude oil spills is soil contamination. Crude oil being a complex mixture of organic molecules contains hydrocarbons and is prone to radical chemical, physical, and biological changes and easily penetrates into the soil.

Soil contamination through an oil spill cause deleterious effects, such as health hazards due to underground water contamination, change in soil pH, inhalation of the vaporized toxins from the contaminated soil and also eco-system destruction by making the soil unfit for agriculture. Vegetation contamination and destruction of essential microorganisms in the soil lead to virtual detrimental changes in the primary food chain as well.

Research to prevent soil contamination has led to various methods of oil spill containment. Few such methods are:

• In situ Treatment Methods: Using biological means, such as oil degradation by micro-organisms or chemical-physical process such as incineration are sone of the in situ treatment methods for oil spill cleanup. The drawback with these techniques is that they work better on sandy soils than on soils that contain clay.

• In situ Bioremediation: Oxygen and nutrients are injected into the contaminated soil to enhance the indigenous bacteria to break down the hydrocarbons and convert them into a nutrient source. Oil Gone Easy Home S-200 can be the best option for oil spill containment as this oil spill cleaner makes use of the bioremediation technology in the oil spill cleanup process.

• Air sparging: Also known as venting, this process involves vaporizing of extractions of the contaminants from the soil and the ground water.

• In situ steam injection: It is basically a thermal treatment method, where steam at a very high temperature and compressed air are injected into the contaminated soil for oil spill containment.

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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.

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One of the largest oil spill disasters occurred in the Galician coast of Spain in 2002. Prestige, an oil tanker carrying 77,033 metric tons of oil, sank when one of its tanks burst, spilling more than 20 million gallons of oil into the sea.

The marine ecosystem of Galicia rich in coral reefs comprising different species of sharks and birds was greatly affected. The polyaromatic hydrocarbons contained in the spilled oil poisoned plankton, fish eggs, and crustaceans and caused carcinogenic effects in fish and animals. The fishing industry also suffered heavy losses as offshore fishing had to be put on hold for the next 6 months.

As part of the massive oil spill cleanup efforts, underwater oil spill containment operations were carried out. First the leakage was reduced to 20 liters a day by sealing the cracks in the hull. Later the oil was pumped into aluminum shuttles by drilling small holes in the wreck.

Oil Gone Easy S-200, an eco-friendly product was used to clean up the beaches that were affected by the Prestige oil spill. This product uses the bioremediation process to help convert polluting hydrocarbons into harmless byproducts using the microorganisms present in the environment, thus cleaning up the oil spill in an environmentally-friendly way.

The field survey on the use of S-200 in Cantabrian coast in northern Spain by the Department of Microbiology, University of Barcelona revealed that S-200 had increased the biodegradation rate of high molecular weight hydrocarbons like benzenes. Surprisingly, there was a significant reduction of harmful diasteranes and C-27 sterane components.

The pollution caused by the Prestige oil spill will continue to affect marine population in the coming decade. The main cause of oil spills is human apathy and negligence. As it causes severe damage to the ecosystem everyone should take due care to protect Mother Nature.

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The oil spill that occurred on January 28, 1969 in Buzzard’s Bay off Cape Cod, when a barge ran aground resulted in the spilling of 200,000 gallons of oil. Like other oil spills, this too had a severe ecological impact. Not only was the seabird population affected, even shorebirds and diving birds faced enormous problems.

But, what makes one talk about this oil spill even today is the fact that, even after four decades of this oil spill, researchers have found compelling evidence that the aftereffects of this spill still exists even after extensive oil spill cleanup.

Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy have found evidence that the marine environment still contains oil, even though the surface sediments appear fine. The study revealed that though the top two inches or the lower three inches of the core didn’t contain any petroleum residue, the central section of the sediment core had petroleum hydrocarbons similar in concentration to those found in the 1969 Oil Spill.

Several other studies have further proved that wildlife and salt marsh too are facing the aftermath of this oil spill. It has taken a huge toll on the sea grass beds and fiddler crabs of Wild Harbor’s marshland. There has been a significant change in the population, burrowing behavior, escape response, and feeding rate of fiddler crabs in Wild Harbor. When compared to the fiddler crabs in nearby Great Sippewissett marsh, these crabs dug short burrows because of residual oil. It has also been proven that the harmful oil residues in the sediments have hindered microbial degradation in these salt marshes.

These findings show how devastating oil spills can be. So, it gives us all the more reason to take steps to not only prevent oil spills, but also do a thorough job of oil spill containment and oil spill cleanup.

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