Introduction to Oil Spills and their Clean-up
Merv Fingas
Abstract
Oil and petroleum constitute a major input into modern society. With the increasing use of these products in almost every facet of our lives, oil spills are also an accompanying reality. Despite the vast improvement in our technology to utilize oil, our ability to deal with oil spills has not kept apace. Despite this, spill experts estimate that 30 to 50% of oil spills are either directly or indirectly caused by human error, with 20 to 40% of all spills caused by equipment failure or malfunction. Emerging spill risks include increased maritime activity in the Arctic, deep-water exploration and development, and the rapid expansion of rail transport of crude oil. Oil spills have many adverse effects on the environment. However, efforts at spill containment and recovery are considered to be only moderately effective. Most often, spilled oil strands on the shoreline require clean-up efforts, though care is needed to minimize additional harm that can slow overall recovery. The understanding of the effects of oil spills is increasing, with the result that we are now finding that their consequences are much greater than we once thought. Further, we are finding that the persistence of spilled oil in the environment is also much greater than once thought.