Oil Spills

Oil produces a lot of good results. It gives energy for heatinghomes and running machines. But not all results of using oil are good. For example,let’s say it makes a lot of “pollution”. Oil spills in the ocean do not always comefrom oil carrying tankers, they also come when offshore wells are drilled at sea.

The Coast Guard estimates that nearly 100,000 oil spills occur in the ocean eachyear. One way to help prevent oil spills is containing it in the first place. Thereare also oil storage facilities to prevent it. The majority of the world's populationresides along coastal waters. The ocean provides a convenient garbage dump.

Every year more than a half-ton of refuse is unloaded into U.S. coastal waters. Abouthalf of the 200 billion-pound mass includes acids, arsenic,mercury, formaldehyde,and other chemicals.

Adler, Irving. Petrolium: Gas, Oil and asphalt.New York:John Day. (c) 1997.

Darline R. Stille. Oil Spills A New True Book. Chicago: Children Press. (c) 1991

The World Book Encyclopedia, 1997. Edition Set N-O

Preventing Oil Spills Http://www.epa.gov/superfind/oerr/er/oilspill/prevent.htm

It is easier to clean oil that has not reached the beachesbecause if it reaches the beaches the workers have to scrub the rocks and the mammals.They also have to shovel the sand that has oil on it. To clean the sand, they alsouse hoses to wash the oil off the sand. But if they push the sand deeper in to thesand, the sand will stay there for years. All the rags that are used are either buriedor burned. But if for some reason the oil gets into the water supply, it could bein there for years. The 9 major oil spills in order from greatest to least are

	name	place	year	cause	tons spilt
1	Ixtoc-I oil well	Gulf of Mexico	1979	blowout	475,000-600,000
2	Atlantic Express &Aegean Captain	off Trinidad and Tobago	1979	collision	300,000
3	Castillo de Bellver	off S. Africa	1983	fire	250,000
4	Amoco Cadiz	off northwest France	1978	grounding	223,000
5	Torrey Canyon	off southwest England	1967	grounding	119,000
6	Sea Star	Gulf of Oman	1972	collision	115,000
7	Urquiola	off northern Spain	1976	grounding	100,000
8	Hawaiian Patriot	northern Pacific	1977	fire	99,000
9	Baer	Shetland Islands	1993	grounding	85,000

Recently Sea turtles have been dying of tumors. Some scientists believe thatpollution, drift, and oil spills may be the cause of these tumors. Scientists arenot positive that these are the causes yet.

The World Book Encyclopedia, 1997. Edition setT pages 520-524

You can help makethe ocean stay clean:

• by being careful and not littering
• limiting the size of the ships that enter the bay
• by participating in a clean up club
• cutting your can rings (soda, beer, juice, etc.)
• not dumping any chemicals in your yard, drain, or beaches, etc.

to Think Quest Junior home page