Sun, Sand, Oil?

[Mel]

Article featured in Avatar - Volume 4, Issue 1 (July 2010).

Sun, Sand, Oil?
by Casey.

We've all heard of the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil are pouring into the Gulf daily, which is frightening to many. This is the largest offshore oil spill that has been recorded in the U.S. history, and it's taking a huge toll on the environment. Threatening the endangered coral reefs, it is also upsetting many local fishermen. What really happened, though?

On April 22nd 2010 an offshore drilling rig exploded, killing eleven platform workers and injuring many others on board. The explosion was serious, to say the least, and it caused the rig to burn and sink. Following this, oil started to spill through the waters. At first it was considered a minor incident; something that would take a few days to fix. Currently, however, the oil has been flowing for just over two months, and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. BP has made many attempts to clean up the oil spill and, although they have made progress, there is still more oil and gas spilling out than they can contain.

Could the spill have been prevented? Well, many sources say different things. BP took short cuts, short cuts that did more damage in the end than would have happened otherwise. BP's wellhead was equipped with a blowout preventer as it is required to be, but there was no remote-control or acoustically-activated triggers to use in case of an emergency. Additionally, the well had a dead man's switch designed to seal off the pipes to the well if communication was lost, but it wasn't activated. Prior to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon there was also high pressure gas coming from the well, the blowout preventer had been damaged, and officials were against the protests of some of the drillers using cheaper and more dangerous methods to keep the pressure in the well down.

BP is taking measures to help with those that this oil spill has affected. The oil spill is not just damaging the environment and destroying the homes of many sea creatures; it is also destroying the homes and livelihoods of people. Fisherman, especially, are effected. The oil can setback the fishing industry for years if it is not stopped soon, and it is already costing fisherman part of their income, since it is killing the fish and clams. BP has set aside a trust fund of twenty billion dollars to help with relief for the coast. They are paying for the damage they cause and any legitimate claims that they receive, including those for property damage and loss of wages.

Aside from monetary compensations there are some measures in place, like sand walls to prevent the oil from reaching beaches and the endangered coral and boom to contain large patches of oil, but sludgy trash still makes its way to the beaches. Many animals, especially birds, are dying from the oil, either by ingesting it or because their bodies become weighed down with it. Turtles and fish, too, are being affected.

So what can you do to help? For starters, if you live near a beach that has oil sludge on it, you can help to clean it up. Picking up the sludge will help, as will picking up any garbage you find on the beach. The oil will not harm you as long as you don't ingest it, but you can wear gloves to avoid contact with it. You can also help by volunteering at an animal hospital that is taking in oil-covered creatures, or by trying to safely help animals you might find on the beach. It is better to call an animal hospital or service if you find any animals instead of trying to take care of them yourself, however, as they are wild animals and may hurt you. Dish soap and mayonnaise are the two main cleaners being used to dislodge oil off of birds and sea turtles (the mayonnaise is for the turtles shell). Donating these or money to your local animal hospital would also help. There is very little that we can do to clean up the oil in the gulf right now, however we can still help along our beaches and coasts. Every bit of help goes a long way.