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An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially the marine ecosystem, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution.The term is usually given to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters, but spills may also occur on land.
Focused research on oil pollution toxicity to fish began in earnest in 1989, after the Exxon Valdez tanker struck a reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska and spilled approximately 11 million gallons of crude oil into the surrounding water. [6] At the time, the Exxon Valdez oil spill was the largest in the history of the United States. [6]
Water pollution also reduces the ecosystem services such as drinking water provided by the water resource. Sources of water pollution are either point sources or non-point sources . [ 4 ] Point sources have one identifiable cause, such as a storm drain , a wastewater treatment plant , or an oil spill .
Many compounds found in oil are highly toxic and can cause cancer (carcinogenic) as well as other diseases. [23] Studies in Taiwan link proximity to oil refineries to premature births. [26] Crude oil and petroleum distillates cause birth defects. [27] Benzene is present in both crude oil and gasoline and is known to cause leukaemia in humans. [28]
Nutrient pollution, a form of water pollution, refers to contamination by excessive inputs of nutrients. It is a primary cause of eutrophication of surface waters, in which excess nutrients, usually nitrates or phosphates, stimulate algae growth. Such blooms are naturally occurring but may be increasing as a result of anthropogenic inputs or ...
An oiled gannet seabird getting the oil washed off.. Most of the impact was on the marine species. Eight U.S. national parks were threatened [4] and more than 400 species that live in the Gulf islands and marshlands are at risk, including the endangered Kemp's ridley turtle, the green turtle, the loggerhead turtle, the hawksbill turtle, and the leatherback turtle.
Some locals in Ogoniland have accused the oil giant of "running away" from properly cleaning up the land and waters it is alleged to have polluted.
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 13 February 2025. Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico This article is about the oil spill itself. For the initial explosion, see Deepwater Horizon explosion. For other related articles, see Deepwater Horizon (disambiguation). Deepwater Horizon oil spill As seen from space by the Terra satellite on 24 May ...