Oil is an essential product that is used in several applications. From domestic usage to factory applications, use of this product has simplified the life of human beings. The drilling process of oil is associated with many risks since, in the past, accidents have occurred in different oil wells. Its transportation is also associated with accidents that endanger the lives of both human beings and animals. The environment is also not spared by these accidents (Powers et al., 2017). Oil spills have become a common occurrence, and their effects on marine ecosystem have led to the need for oil spill cleanup (Powers et al., 2017). Oil spills results to water pollution, and this endangers marine life. Most oil spills occur as a result of accidents that are caused by tankers involved in the transportation of oil. These accidents have resulted in the relocation of several individuals due to the threats associated with them (Powers et al., 2017). Oil spills have been identified as the leading cause of water pollution, and this has caused several organizations to stress the importance of oil spill cleanup.
Research from articles shows that oil spills have been occurring in the past years and they have had significant effects on the environment (Powers et al., 2017). Indonesia witnessed one of the largest oil spill in its history in 2017 (Cochrane, 2017). This accident was associated with fire that ended up wiping the entire property in the surrounding environment. According to Cochrane (2017), the accident occurred in an oil well, and it resulted to the deaths of more than 15 individuals who were working at the field. More than 40 workers were injured in the process, and most of them sustained serious burns. The article from New York Times provides clear information that oil spills can also occur on land since most people tend to assume that this type of accident occurs on oceans and seas (Cochrane, 2017). The oil spill, in this case, occurred in a well in Indonesia and it claimed the life of both people and animals. The environment was also affected in the process.
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Research shows that some oil spills are dangerous due to the fact that they are invisible (Caron, 2017). This means that these accidents can occur without being noticed and in this case, they end up affecting the lives of many people. The ecosystem is also severely affected by this type of oil spill. In 2017, this type of accident occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, and it was caused by the spillage of more than 650,000 gallons of oil (Caron, 2017). According to Caron (2017), the marine life was adversely affected by this occurrence especially the birds that were taking refuge in this gulf. The oil spill was difficult to identify since it was caused by a rupture on a pipeline that was approximately a mile under the water surface. A resident from the nearest town, New Orleans was also unable to identify the occurrence of this accident since there were no signs of oil on water (Caron, 2017). Most of these accidents have been associated with oil spill clean-up to reduce the extent of the damage.
According to Ha and Cheong (2017), cases of oil spills have significantly decreased in the past two decades. This means that the efforts of oil spill clean-up have been successful. These efforts have been aimed at ecological renovation as well as prevention of future occurrences of oil spills. Ha and Cheong (2017) suggest that oil spill clean-up should balance the improvement of people’s health and improvement of the environmental condition. Regions that have been affected by cases of oil spills contain several health hazards contained in water. It, therefore, becomes difficult for people to settle in the surrounding environment due to these hazards. The process of oil spill clean-up tends to endanger the lives of workers who are involved in the act. This process is carried out manually, and labor force is required to manually remove oil that may be stuck in the coastline. In the process, some of the workers who are employed to carry out this task ended up developing health concerns (Ha and Cheong, 2017). This has led to the emergence of the debate concerning the protection of environment and wellbeing of people involved in the act of oil spill clean-up.
It can be concluded that oil spills are a threat to the environment due to their adverse effects. The sources used in this paper prove that recent cases of oil spills have endangered the lives of both human beings and that of animals. Some people have become victims of these accidents, and they have ended up losing their lives due to the occurrence of oil spills. These accidents have left several families homeless due to the destruction of their shelters. Oil spill clean-up should be aimed at improving the state of the environment (Zock, 2018). However, the lives of those involved in the clean-up process should also be protected through the provision of the appropriate clothing and gear (Zock, 2018). Local and state governments should ensure that they are not endangering the health of workers involved in the oil spill clean-up (Zock, 2018).
References
Christina, C. (2017). How a 672,000-Gallon Oil Spill Was Nearly Invisible. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/29/science/gulf-oil-spill-louisiana.html
Cochrane, J. (2017). Deadly Fire Erupts at Illegal Oil Well in Indonesia. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/25/world/asia/indonesia-oil-fire.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FOil%20Spills&action=click&contentCollection=timestopics®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=collection
Ha, M., & Cheong, H. (2017). Oil spill clean-up: a trade-off between human health and ecological restoration? Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(17)30209-8/fulltext
Powers, S. P., Peterson, C. H., Cebrian, J., & Heck Jr, K. L. (2017). The response of nearshore ecosystems to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Marine Ecology Progress Series , 576 , 107-110.
Zock, J. P. (2018). Some clues for studying long-term health effects of oil spills. Occup Environ Med , opened-2017.
