Ecological and health consequences from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will be revealed in upcoming months as data indicates the short term effects from the disaster. It may take years before it is known what the actual ecological changes have been.
Immediate physical health concerns for Gulf residents...
Coastal areas that have suffered oil and chemical contamination from the roving oil slicks should avoid breathing the toxic fumes which may be present. Anyone with compromised breathing conditions such as asthma, emphysema, or any other type of lung disorder might suffer serious consequences. Healthy individuals should realize the potential risk that toxic fumes can represent. Damage might include lungs, kidney, liver, eyes, and skin problems from exposure.
Another immediate concern area exists for those trying to clean up the oil and tar balls from beaches. High humidity and warm temperatures create ideal conditions for exertion related heat stroke. Those working on boats are subject to the same potential for potentially fatal consequences from heat stroke.
Some of the oil dispersant chemicals used on the oil slicks have unknown effects on human beings. Anyone who has direct contact with the oily chemical slime associated with the oil spill should wear protective gloves and clothing. It is important to avoid direct contact with the skin to avoid contamination with unknown side-effects.
Mental health concerns with the oil spill...
The human psyche is normally quite strong even under stress, but not everyone shares the same ability to handle the emotional stress that a catastrophe of this magnitude can produce. Those who have been most affected by the oil spill should consider professional help for themselves or family members who may be unable to deal with the emotional stress existing for some.
One suicide has already been attributed to the oil spill, and more will potentially follow. Post traumatic shock syndrome is a real possibility for some Gulf coast residents as this may represent a calamity that they cannot handle emotionally. Mental health is a risk factor that accompanies most disaster type conditions.
Ecological consequences...
There are obvious short-term ecological consequences relating to bird and sea life habitats in coastal areas that have been contaminated by the oil slicks. Oyster beds, nesting areas for birds and turtles, and the habitats of crabs and other sea creatures are destroyed by exposure to the oil residue. Marshlands that are part of the barrier islands that rim the Gulf coast cannot survive oil contamination. It will likely take years for some of these areas to recover, if ever.
In a larger view of the situation, it is difficult to know to what extent the Gulf of Mexico may be able to renew itself. There is no question that there have been massive “kill zones” created by the massive oil slicks. Sea life is dead in some areas, but as a percentage of the size of the entire Gulf of Mexico it is actually a statistically small area by comparison.
For example, it has been noted in late July that the size of visible oil slicks have diminished considerably. The combination of several factors probably explain this; evaporation, oil-eating microbes, and oil sinking to the floor of the gulf as sediment. Without a doubt, many sea creatures have died, and will continue to suffer the long term consequences of the oil spill.
A legitimate hope for the future...
Despite the horrors of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill in Alaska in 1989, many scientists were surprised at how quickly the areas affected recovered. When Mexico suffered its massive oil spill in the 1970s, the ultimate pollution of Mexican and Texas beaches was much less than expected. In recent years, frequent “red tides” that cause large kills of fish dissipate and fish populations quickly return to normal.
In other words, mother nature tends to surprise us regarding how quickly the environment sometimes recovers. No one expected the quick recovery of Mt. St. Helen which healed its scars in a scant few years. It is a hope that is worth sharing that the Gulf of Mexico will show similar resiliency after this disaster becomes only another chapter in the history of man's pollution of his environment.
Source: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,19994 79,00.html