by Christina Mendoza

Created on: July 27, 2010

As the widely-published photos of oil-slimed birds and animals, and tainted water and sand have shown, the immediate ecological consequences of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill have been devastating, especially in areas with high concentrations of oil.  In addition, members of the public and workers hired to clean up the spilled oil have reportedly suffered deleterious health effects ranging from respiratory trouble to skin irritation due to the oil.  Months after the catastrophic BP-operated oil rig explosion that damaged the adjacent undersea well and sent millions of gallons of oil spewing into the Gulf, nature lovers and scientists the world over wait in suspense to see the ultimate consequences the huge quantities of leaked oil will have on human heath and the environment.

Biologists on scene to monitor animal life in and around the Gulf have collected numerous dead and injured creatures, and attributed the damage to oil in many cases.  Statistically, less than 1% of oil-soaked birds will survive, even if treated, as the oil that penetrates their plumage hinders their ability to fly and forage for food.  The lack of adequate nutrition and fresh water, combined with kidney and liver damage due to ingesting the oil in an attempt to clean their feathers, quickly leads to often-irreversible and fatal dehydration and metabolic imbalances in affected birds.  

Ingestion of oil – or the chemical dispersants being used to combat it – by marine mammals such as dolphins, manatees and whales can cause them to suffer similar injury to their digestive systems.  Topical contact with petroleum compounds or dispersants may also cause irritation, chemical burns, and infection of the skin and eyes of Gulf mammal and turtle species.  Frequent surfacing to breathe air is a necessity for turtles and water mammals, and exposes them to risks of respiratory irritation and inflammation, emphysema and even pneumonia when volatile compounds from oil or chemical treatments are present.  Finally, absorbing the petroleum or dispersant chemicals through inhalation and ingestion may impair liver, kidney or brain function, cause anemia, or suppress the immune system in turtles and marine mammals exposed to oil in the Gulf.

A unique concern applies to the large whales that may venture into waters contaminated by the spill: if oil clogs the baleen they rely on for filter-feeding, their ability to eat may be impaired.  The predicted deleterious

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