Oil Spills: Explanation

Since the 1960s there have been about twenty oil spills of more than 20 million gallons. Major oil spills have occurred off the coast of Mexico, the Middle East, off South Africa, in the North Pacific, and in Alaska, as well as in the pipeline in Usink, Russia. The largest oil spill to date resulted from the Gulf War in 1991, when over 240 million gallons of oil poured into the Persian Gulf, most of it deliberately. The next largest oil spill, from the Ixtox-1 well off Mexico, involved a blowout of 140 million gallons.

Birds die from oil spills if their feathers are covered in oil. The bird will then be poisoned because it will try to clean itself. Animals may die because they get hypothermia, causing their body temperature to be really low. They may die from really low body temperature. Oil may also cause the death of an animal by entering the animal’s lungs or liver. The animal will then be poisoned by the oil. Oil also can kill an animal by blinding it. The animal will not be able to see and be aware of their predators. If they are not aware of other animals, they may be eaten.

Oil spills sometimes are the reason for animals becoming endangered. This means that a certain type of animal is getting so small that it is in danger of becoming extinct.

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Oil Spills