Top Horrifying Facts About Untreated Oil Spills
The large oil spills that people have seen on the news in the past aren’t a common occurrence. However, minor spills that leave less than 700 metric tons of oil can happen frequently and have a massive impact on the communities where they strike.
If your company is one that transports oil from location to location, keep these top facts about oil spills in mind as you focus on completing your deliveries as safely as possible.
One Spill can Cause Multiple Forms of Pollution
Many people wrongfully believe that an oil spill only affects the immediate area where it occurs. The truth is, it’s easy for oil to spread out, seep into the ground and have a negative impact on a community’s soil, water sources, and the safety of the food collected from these areas (i.e. produce and fish).
Oil spills also blast toxins into the air that can result in long-term respiratory damage for those unfortunate enough to inhale oil droplets or particles.
Local Economies can Plummet
Beaches, parks, and related recreational and commercial areas can all be shut down for a lengthy amount of time during a clean-up from an environmental services company. For seaside towns and other cities that rely on tourism for a thriving economy, an oil spill can quickly bring a halt to daily business and drain the prosperity from a community.
Animal Injury and Death
One of the most glaring threats of an oil spill is the death toll that animals experience in the aftermath.
When an oil spill occurs, animals exposed to the spill could end up with both internal and external consequences.
One of the biggest examples of how oil impacts the wildlife can be seen in water-dwelling birds like ducks. Oil exposure misaligns bird’s feathers and leaves these species vulnerable to drowning because their coat is no longer waterproof or able to keep them buoyant.
Aside from some of the obvious threats to animals, oil spills can ruin natural habitats and disrupt annual migration patterns leaving animals vulnerable to starvation and other threats.
When an oil spill disrupts the natural life cycle of wildlife, animals prematurely die out and the food chain in the surrounding environment could be negatively impacted decades after the clean-up.
As an example, even if the smallest group of animals on the food chain were exposed to an oil spill, as they are eaten and the food chain moves up, more and more animals that were never even involved in the oil spill could begin to show signs of abnormalities and devastating health problems.
Oil Spills Are a Volunteer Health Risk
When an oil spill occurs many people like to volunteer themselves as a community clean-up crew. Although this is a noble cause, the truth is that unless they are part of an experienced organization that regularly handles hazardous clean-ups, a person’s volunteer services are a hazard to their health.
Not only does oil create a respiratory threat, but the benzene in its makeup is a cancer-causing substance. Therefore, if an oil spill does occur within your facility’s community or on one of your truck’s routes, make sure that a professionally trained response company like TAS Environmental Services is on-hand to help with safe and effective clean-up duties.
Stop the Threat of a Community Oil Spill With TAS Environmental Services
TAS Environmental Services specializes in being one of the first teams to respond when an oil spill occurs both on and off land. We help ensure that any oil spill is quickly contained, cleaned up, and that the surrounding environment remains as clean as possible.
Our emergency response team is available 24/7 to help communities that experience roadside spills and other environmental hazards. Contact us today to learn more about our services and to get your oil facility or plant associated with our helpful, knowledgeable, and efficient team.