17. Health effects of Oil spills Flashcards
Where was deepwater horizon oil spill
Gulf of mexico
near mississippi delta US
how much oil was spilled
4.9 million barrels
210 US gallons
780,000 m3
how did oil spill happen
wellhead blowout
how many people got injured and died from oil spill
11 killed
17 injured
whos fault was deepwater horizon oil spill?
BP
rig operator Transocean
COntracter Halliburton
what were companies blamed for
gross negligence
cost-cutting decisions
inadequate safety systems
Health effects by deepwater horizon oil spill
Marine and wildlife damage
fishing and tourism affected
has the oil been tried to removed
yes 4.9 million pounds was removed from Louisiana, and double after
reached Florida panhandle and tampa bay
where is the oil embedded
it is embedded in sand
how were marine animals affected
so many dolphins died
dying 6 times normal rate
how were fish affected
tuna deformed heart
life shortening organs
cardiotoxicity
what is the poster animal for spill
turtle, affects at early age
main effects of oil on birds
cannot thermoregulate
spend all time preening
what is baseline data
data about area prior to an event or disaster
what is corexit?
Chemical dispersant
sinks to sea floor when mixed with oil
toxicity dispute
physical evidence of oil spill still found in gulf coast. evidence?
Oily sea foam
tar balls
what are medical issues mentioned in video
chronic cough
skin rash
memory loss
what did the oil spill do to real estate market
houses stayed long on housign market
what were some ways used to contain and eliminate the oil spill
Spreading oil using…
1. Skimmer ships
2. Floating containment booms
3. Controlled burns
4. Oil eating microbes
5. 1.84 million of oil dispersant called Corexit
what is containment booms
Containment booms
become barriers for the farms and land
only work in calm waters
since 3 or 4 foot waves can move the boom, it was ineffective most times
what is corexit a mixture of
Emulsifiers and solvents
breaks oil to small droplets and then dispersed in water so microbes can degrade
how does corexit affect marine life
exposure to underwater animals can be harmed by toxicity of oil and dispersant
approved by EPA
what is the airlift that sprayed corexit on the oil spill
910th Airlift wing that specializes in aerial spray
Concerns of corexit
- carcinocegnic ingredients
- hazardous toxins
- endocrine disrupting chemical
how many times of toxicity of oil was increased in BP oil spill
52 times
what are human conditions corexit can cause
CNS affected
nausea
wear protective clothing, wasn;t mentioned to gulf spill people
where is corexit banned
UK
why was corexit used in oil spill
- easily avilable
- not most effective
- bought 1/3 of supply
how much reduction did EPA order BP to use corexit
75%
what happened to workers cleaning up the oil spill
more chances to get cancer, leukemia and altered blood profile, liver enzymes
how deep does deepwater horizon operate? what is it?
It is a drilling rig that could operate in waters up to 10000 feet deep
what was it drilling and how deep
Deep exploratory well, 5000 feet deep
what caused reservoir blowout
high-pressure methane gas from the well expanded into drilling rise and rose into drilling rig
ignited and exploded
how deep was the oil reservoir and what was name
Macondo well, Macondo prospect
18360 ft under sea level
what is a kick
unplanned flow of well fluids ( water, oil gas) into the wellbore
what is a blowout
uncontrolled release of flammable oil and gas from well
what features does a blowout preventer have
close pipe rams
circiular annular preventers
blind shear rams
why did drill pipe buckle ? what were consequences
- effective compression
- large pressure difference between inside the pipe and outside
- Pipe was closed at top, oil continued to flow in from the bottom
-buckling caused blind shear rams to fail
how much was settlement due to negligence, misdemeanour and manslaughter
-4.5 billion then trust fund of 42.2 Billion
- then extra 18.7 billion in fines, biggest corporate settlement in US history
