Introduction
Oil spillage can be defined as the running or providing out of an petroleum product out of a vessel, pipe or drilling well into the environment thereby killing both organic and inorganic matters in the affected areas (Omatutu,2003).
Unuraye and Olojoba (2003) also defined oil spillage as the process whereby oil is discharged on the land, water bodies, upland surface water, such as stream, river, seas, as well as underground water, resulting in contamination with its inherent health hazards dangerous to life.
Oil spillage can be defined as the escape of crude oil from drilling well, pipe or container into the ecosystem thereby destroying plants, animals aquatic live and also man, making the environment uncondusive for dwelling (Ramon, 2012).
“Oil Spillage and its health impact on the ecosystem” is based on the effect, the causes, government and oil exploration company in prevention and control of oil spillage and possible ways to clean up oil polluted site. This topic tends to give a clear view of oil spillage and its implication to both plants, animal and human health. If the health of a nation is in jeopardy, the socio-economic and cultural progress of the nation will also decline totally. Iwenna (2009) maintained that socio economic and cultural development and that the quality of the environment should be maintained to ensure a good societal performance.
Nigeria is a blessed nation, but it seems like the natural endowment is like a curse because it is been abused. Since the discovery if crude oil the natural state of the ecosystem has been altered, aquatic lives has been killed, farmland has lost its fertility, animals has died and some has gone into extinction even man is not left out from this night mare of oil spillage.
The problem of oil spillage has subjected many society (ies) into hunger, community members has become refugee because of oil spillage. Oil spillage as almost in daily occurrence with Shell Company accounting for more than 200, 000 barrel in the last five incidence of Jesse. In 1981 it was recorded that 6 million ton of oil polluted Nigeria water each year and 1/10 of this amount occurs through accidental spillage and sabotage.
Oil spillage like an unsafe condition is caused by human activities through exploration and extraction. In other to satisfy man’s want for wealth, the activities of exploration and extraction of crude oil has become a threat to the nation.
Effects of oil spillage on the environment (land, water, man)
Oil spillage tend to pollute the environment and causes damage to land, water, man thereby making the ecosystem unsuitable for both plants, animals, aquatic lives and also man.
The effects of oil spillage on animal
When there is oil spillage on land, the hydrocarbon are deposited on the plant, grasses etc. thereby contaminating them. When animals get in contact with these hydrocarbons during grazing, they tend to be exposed to serious health hazard which could lead to high mortality rate in the animals. One of such disease caused by these hydrocarbons in animal is flourosis. Flourosis is characterized in animals by mooted teeth and a condition of the joints known as exostosis leading to lameness and death (Olojoba, 2009)
Effects on water
The presence of hydrocarbons (petroleum products in water deplete oxygen content in the waters, thus contaminating the water and destroying aquatic lives. When oil is spill into water bodies, the chemical content accumulate in fishes and other aquatic lives, when these fishes are in-turn consumed by man, the chemical content that has accumulate in the fishes will be magnify in mans system which is known as Bio-magnification.
Effects on human’s health
According to Chijioke (2002) man has been a victim of oil spillage and this hazardous effect will continue until there is a profound solution of oil spillage. When oil spills on water bodies, the aquatic feeds on the chemical content and it accumulate in their system. Man will in turn feeds on these fishes and become infected because the higher the number of fishes man consumed the higher the chemical content will be magnify in man. The hazardous effect of consuming petroleum could be long term, with possible poisoning of the blood and heart leading to cancer and eventually death.
Effects on plants
Back in those days when agriculture was the main sources of income of Nigerians, no harm was done to the environment but since the discovery of crude oil in Nigeria (1950), our agricultural products has been affected greatly.
Agricultural products are affected as a result of the pressure of the spill on the soil, leading to the destruction of the plant and thereby resulting in low agricultural productivity. In other worlds, when plants are affected, the result is reduction in plants growth and crop yield. However, hydrocarbons can block stomata in plant leaves thereby reducing the passage of carbon-dioxide from the atmosphere into the leaf and exit of oxygen from the leaf during photosynthesis. The sunlight reaching the interior of the leaf is also reduced causing chlorosis of plant leaves.
Causes of oil spillage
Odiase (2004) said that the following are major causes of oil spillage
- Accident and erosion
- Corrosion
- Sabotage
- Equipment Failure
Accident and erosion
Oil spillage can occurs accidentally. 10% of oil spillage occurs through this process (Odiase, 2004). As oil distributing takes carries crude oil from one flow station to another, accident might occur thereby leading to spillage. During farming, and construction work, pipes can easily by accident be broken and spill occurs. If the pipeline passes through water or area where there is a runoff thereby weaving the parts where the pipe is sealed, this is known as erosion.
Corrosion
Oil spillage occurs in this process as a result of rupture or rust effect in pipelines, tanks and other equipments. Spills could occur when there is pipeline failure, submarines pipeline rupture or storage tank rupture either at terminal or flow-line piping from well head. This spreading to the surrounding affecting fishing channel and ponds it occurs due to value mal-function as a result of negligence (Unuraye & Olojoba, 2003).
Sabotage
Refers to the illegal or unauthorized activities that involved the destruction of oil pipeline to descript supply or the punching of oil pipeline to siphon(to transfer liquid from one reservoir to another) crude oil or its refined products in order to appropriate it for personal use or for sale in black market. Sabotaging of pipeline is a capital offence under the petroleum act and it covers the criminal justice decree of 1975. Odiase (2004) state that problem of oil spillage can only be reduced drastically to about 200% if social economic factor which causes this act can be curbed (Restrained), 90% oil spillage through the act of sabotage which results from social economic problem like unemployment, poverty, insecurity, ignorance, corruption etc.
Equipment failure
Mal-functioning of equipment might occur during oil production leading to oil spillage. During production, there might arise failure from the equipment, blow-out of oil leading to spillage. In the marine environment, there is bound to be operational discharge which could be minor or major (Olojoba, 2009)
Roles of governmental and oil companies towards the prevention/ control of oil spillage
According to Maccus (2012) said that the following are the roles of government and oil exploration companies in the prevention/control of oil spillage.
- The Government should pay more attention to the activities of militants engaged in oil bunkering as some of the spills in the oil rich region occur due to this.
- Government should ensure that regulatory bodies have the authority to sanction oil companies who spill oil in the region.
- More and strict laws with stiffer penalties should be passed so that oil companies are more mindful of their activities and the spills that they cause. Producing companies should always carry out a routine check/ inspection on the equipment to avoid failure during production.
- Oil companies should replace /change old, rust and equipment that does not function well before production.
- Government should use part of the money accrued from oil to empower the people of the areas by creating job opportunities for them to prevent sabotage.
Remediation
According to Mallory (2010) said that oil polluted site can be clean up with the following processes.
- Chemical remediation process
- Biological remediation process
- Mechanical remediation process
Chemical process
This is the use of chemical agents to cleanup oil polluted site. Dispersing agents, also called dispersants, are chemicals that contain surfactants and/ or solvent compounds that act to break petroleum oil into small droplet. In oil spill, these droplets disperse into the water column where they are subjected to natural processes such as walk and currents that help to break them down further. This helps to clear oil from the water’s surface, making it less likely that oil slick will reach the shoreline. Environmental factors, including water salinity and temperature, and conditions at sea also influence the effective of dispersants. Studies have shown that most dispersants work best at Salinities close to the normal sea water (Mallory, 2010).
Biological process
This is the process of use micro organism to clean up a polluted site. This process is known as Bio-remediation. Micro organisms are introduced and cultured in the polluted site they feeds on the chemical content that serve as protein and nutrient to this system. The process of feeding on the chemical content, the land is been cleaned up.
Mechanical process
This process involved the use of machines like broom, driller, broom filter etc. to clean up an oil polluted site. Broom is used to gather the oil particles together then the broom filters is used to drain the oil which has been gathered. This process is mainly use for minor spillage.
Conclusion
In conclusion, government and oil exploration companies should work effectively to minimize and prevent oil spillage, the natural state of the ecosystem will be restore.
Recommendations
A healthy nation is a wealthy nation. I thereby recommend that:
- Government should make sure that jobs opportunities is created for all.
- There should be an immediate replacement of oil weak and fragile oil pipelines and the recycling of new lines deeply build in the soil to minimize and prevent spillage due to burst of pipe.
- Training of persons for oil pollution, and prevention, enables decisions to be made properly and will produce sufficient and competent personnel to manage pollution
- The trained scientists should be involved in ongoing research in soil and water affected by oil spillage, using environment friendly affective materials.
- Oil companies should carry out routine inspection of equipment to prevent equipment failure while working.
- Community education should be organize to increase the awareness of the people on the danger of deliberately causing of oil
- The government and oil exploration companies should train personnel on prompt recognition and cleanup of areas affected by oil spillage to minimize it impact on the environment.
References
Adikoja, J. A. (2001). Oil Exploration Management in Nigeria. Ibadan: Royal People.
Aikhomu, A. J. (1999). Tread of Petroleum Exploration in Nigeria. Ibadan: 3a.m Communications.
Chijoke, S. A. (2002). Environmental Pollution Management. Benin City: Dunams House.
Emuze, P. (2001). Environmental Mitigation and Pollution Control. Benin City: Dunams House
Maccus, E. (2012). Petroleum Exploration Management. Canada: Fort Ontario.
Olojoba, A.O. (2009). Millennium Technology in Waste Management and Environmental Pollution Mitigation. Ughelli: Ama-Ohoror.
Mallory, N. (2010). Oil Spill Response. Retrieved on 2nd October, 2015 from http//: www.eoearth.org/view/article/158455.
Ramon, R. (2012). Oil Spill Cleaning. Retrieval on 2nd October, 2015 from http//: www.eoearth.org/view/article/110411.
Odiase, O. A. (2004). Environmental and other Issues Relating to Oil Pollution in Nigeria. Retrieved on 2nd October, 2015 from http://www.ogel.org/article.asp?key=1256.
Unuraye, L. O & Olojoba, A. O. (2005). Occupational Safety and Environmental Health Management (2nd ed.). Ughelli: Ama-Ohoror.