Gulf Oil Spill

Gulf Oil Spill



Gulf Oil Spill

Introduction

This article was published in the New York Times, October 17, 2011 edition. Written by Chris Graythen, this article provides a background about the Gulf Oil Spill and the recent provisions made for it.

Gulf Oil Spill occurred on April 20, 2010, when a deep water drilling rig of the British Petroleum, exploded one mile below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. This was the biggest oil spill ever that occurred in the history. According to scientists, approximately five million barrels of oil were leaked from BP's well into the Gulf of Mexico as a result of this explosion the amount is 2 million barrels higher than that of the oil spill of Bay of Campeche in 1979.

Initially, the spill caused landfall in Louisiana; however, by the end of June Tar balls reached the shores of Mississippi, Florida and Alabama. Afterwards, the oil polluted shores, causing tourist beaches to smear badly, while simultaneously polluting the marshy bays where fishermen have been working since generations. The spill was more widespread, as it was anticipated, polluting the underwater rather than the sea shores.

Even a year after the event, the health of Gulf of Mexico is still ill; regardless the fishes are now termed as edible, which is still a question mark, as the Gulf is in an unhealthy condition.

Initially, all the aquatic life was affected by the spill and conditions became so worst that the fishes found in the Gulf of Mexico became inedible.

Discussion

Nutritional Implications

The Nutritional Implications of the Gulf oil spill included contaminated sea food which was affected by the toxic substance released by sea-oil. Not only for humans the condition was worst, it was also the same for marine life as the oil spilt to a significant extent throughout the Gulf of Mexico. People in Louisiana also got affected by the release of toxic substances from the explosion of the rig; however, these effects emerged after a month of the spill, as oil began to set on the sea shore. Another implication of this oil spill is that because of release of toxic substances in the air, the nutritional value of the crops growing in the area also decreased. The sea food caught from the areas of Gulf of Mexico also got contaminated, with people raising questions about the sea foods nutritional value.

Populations at Risk of the Nutritional Consequence

The people living around the areas ...