Image: NOAA
The immediate effects of an oil spill are all too apparent: dead wildlife, oil-covered marshlands and contaminated water chief among them. Now the results of a study published online by the journal Environmental Science and Technology suggest that contaminating oil can persist in the marine environment--perhaps indefinitely--even if surface sediments appear healthy.
Christopher M. Reddy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and his colleagues studied a sediment core collected from marshland in Buzzards Bay near West Falmouth, Mass. In 1969, the barge Florida ran aground there and released 700,000 liters of oil into the environment. The team found that the top and bottom sections of the core were clear of petroleum residue. The section between six and 28 centimeters, however, contained levels of petroleum chemicals in concentrations similar to those detected immediately after the accident. "The long-term biological effects of oil contamination at this site is unknown since animals burrowing into these sediments can be exposed to high levels of some of these compounds," Reddy says. "It is clear from this study that oil spills can have a long-term impact on a coastal environment."
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Add CommentAn oil company spilled several hundred gallons of oil into the backyard of a rental property of mine. The oil migrated into the basement of my property and the attached twin home. The oil was left to migrated into the soil below these homes. Is it safe to live in these homes? How long can the hydro petrolem carbons in fuel oil live in the soil under these homes? I have kept my rental property vacant, however the oil company has said, I should rent it out. How long should I wait as seeing the oil was never removed from the soil? How long does it take for the carbs in the soil/danger to go away?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisbjm
Chester Township, PA Oil Spill is Un-remediated for 7 Years
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOil was spilled into the basements of 2 homes and under their foundations. The oil company who provided agreements to remediate in 2001 in accordance to PA "DEP" rules and regulations provided fraudulent releases instead.
Legislation is needed to insure spill vitims do not live over toxic soil, environmental health and safety laws are inforced, swift remediation, occupancy certification/clearances following a spill, assistance in relocating, financial assistance till cleanup is completed, charges for failure to report a spill and for leaving without warning of pending danger and etc.
Please correct me if legislation is currently in place.
Barbara, if it were me, I would consult an environmental attorney. I would get the company to come out and remediate the site by making it a business decision for them, i.e. cheaper to pay for the remediation than pay the what the court instructs them to pay, and it will force them to clean it up on top of that.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis oil spill effects all of us eventually it has a great impact on the natural world, and what about human civilization? We cannot ignore the fact that massive oil spills like the current one in the Gulf of Mexico, or Alaska and Kuwait have effected our food and water supply. These forces lead to lost jobs and industries, and can devastate an area at many levels for decades afterward.hands with oil
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEven though billions spent on seeking out new sources of oil and in developing the mechanisms to retrieve it shouldnt we be spending at least a portion of that return on alternative sources of energy to reach higher goals for safer alternative fuels for environment to survive.Help make sure this type of calamity never happens again. Every oil well should have a back up plan for just such an event to shut it off before it is even erected. ....Ava Anvari
This oil spill effects all of us eventually it has a great impact on the natural world, and what about human civilization? We cannot ignore the fact that massive oil spills like the current one in the Gulf of Mexico, or Alaska and Kuwait have effected our food and water supply. These forces lead to lost jobs and industries, and can devastate an area at many levels for decades afterward.hands with oil
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEven though billions spent on seeking out new sources of oil and in developing the mechanisms to retrieve it shouldnt we be spending at least a portion of that return on alternative sources of energy to reach higher goals for safer alternative fuels for environment to survive.Help make sure this type of calamity never happens again. Every oil well should have a back up plan for just such an event to shut it off before it is even erected.