Introduction
Unuraye and Olojoba (2003) 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 ground water resulting in contamination with its inherent health hazards dangerous to life and the environment.
Oil spillage is also the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas due to human activity and it is a form of pollution (United States Department of Defense Environment Exposure Report, 2000).
Pollution is bound to occur when any materials having adverse effect on the ecosystem is introduced to the environment. The problem of oil production both on sea and land in Nigeria like any other developing country is very rampant, the most responsible factor of which is the direct involvement of human being. Oil spills can have disastrous consequences; oil spill accidents can initiate intense media attention and political uproar. Multiple kinds of actors in society can become involved in a political struggle on how government should respond to oil spill and what actions prevent them from happening. Despite substantial national and international policy improvements on preventing oil spills adopted in decade’s oil spillage keep occurring (Wout 2015).
Classification of oil spillage
According Olojoba (2009) the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPRS) on environmental guild lines and standard for petroleum industry in the Niger Delta, has classified oil spillage in to three (3) major stages, namely;
- Minor spill
- Medium spill
- Major spill
They are further explained as follows;
- Minor spill: This is any discharge of oil spill less than twenty five (25) barrels in to in land water or less than two hundred and fifty (250) barrels on land, offshore or coastal water.
- Medium spill: Any discharge of oil in the order of twenty five (25) to two hundred and fifty (250) barrels in inland water or over two thousand five hundred (2500) on land, offshore and coastal water.
- Major spill: And discharge that is more than 250 barrels in inland water or over 2,500 barrels on land, offshore, and coastal water and any other uncontrollable well, blows out pipeline, rupture or storage tank failure.
Causes of oil spillage
According to Environmental Pollution Centre (2009) oil spillage have multiple causes both of natural (e.g. climatic factors, natural disturbances) and anthropogenic origin which includes;
- Accidental spill (storage)
Oil and oil products may be stored in a variety of ways including underground and aboveground storage tanks (USTs and ASTs) may develop leaks over time thereby resulting to oil spillage on the immediate environment.
- Transportation
Big oil spills (up to million and hundreds of million gallons) on water or land through accidental rupture or big transporting vessels (e.g. tanker ships or tanker trucks.) for example Exxon Valdez spill was a massive oil spill off the Alaskan shoreline due to ship failure which happened in late 1980’s-oil spill production residuals from that spill are still affecting our environment (as of 2010-several decades after the spill).
Smaller oil spills via pipelines and other devices also happen and their impact is mainly due to a large number of usually minor spills.
- Routine maintenance activities
Such as cleaning of ships may release oil into navigable waters. This may seem insignificant, however due to the large number of ships even few gallons spilled per ship maintenance could build up to a substantial number when all ships are considered.
- Intentional oil spill
Such as those through drains or in the sewer system. This include any regular activities such as changing car oil if the replaced oil is simply discharged in a drain or sewer system.
- Pipeline vandalization (sabotage)
Pipeline vandalization refers to the illegal or unauthorized activities that involved the destruction of oil pipelines to disrupt supply or the puncturing of oil pipeline to siphon crude oil or its refined products in order to appropriate it for personal use or for sale in the black market or any other outlet. Pipeline vandalization is usually regarded as an act of sabotage. It is a capital offence under the petroleum act and it covers the criminal justice decree of 1975 (miscellaneous provision) (Olojoba 2009).
Effects of oil spillage
According to Conserve Energy Future (2009) the following are some of the effects of oil spillage.
- Environmental effects
- Effect on tourism industry
- Effect on economy
- Effect on the air
- Effect on human health
- Environmental effects
First of these is the environmental effect. The animal life that lives in the water or near the shore are the ones most affected by the spill. In most cases, the oil simply chokes the animals to death. Others that live face a number of other problems, the oil works its way into the fur and plumage of the animals. As a result both birds and mammals find it harder to float in the water or regulate their body temperatures. Many baby animals and birds starve to death, since their parents cannot detect their natural body scent. Birds that preen themselves to get rid of the oil accidentally swallow the oil and die due to the toxic effects. In many cases animals become blind due to repeated exposure to the oil.
- Effect on tourism industry
The local tourism industry suffers a huge setback as most of the tourists stay away from such places. Dead birds, sticky oil and huge trills become common sight due to this, various activities, such as sailing, swimming, rafting, fishing, parachute gliding cannot be performed. Industries that rely on sea water on their day to day activities halt their operations till it gets cleaned.
- Effects on economy
Oil spillage and its effects is also seen on the economy. When precious crude oil or refined petroleum is lost, it effects the amount of petroleum and gas available for use this means more barrels have to be imported from other countries. Then comes the process of cleaning the oil spill, which requires a lot of financing. Although the company responsible for the oil spill and their effects has to clean it up, there is a lot of government required at this point.
The workers that are brought on board to clean up the spill face tremendous health problems later in life as well. Their medical treatment has to be paid for and becomes the responsibility of the government, putting all the methods of recovery into place and monitoring them takes away resources from other more important work and hits the economy in subtle but powerful ways.
- Effect on the air
Evaporated hydrocarbon gasses from rent of small storage tanks containing pure crude oil at flow station tend to mix up with the surrounding air, thereby polluting the atmosphere and some of the disease associated with air degradation is asthma, lung cancer, chronic bronchitis, chest pain etc. explosive discharge by seismic operation during oil exploration activities can cause air pollution. A violet explosive takes place with the removal of a large part of oil from the ground and scatters it into the upper part of the atmosphere in tiny particles thereby forming dust particles in the air and which when inhaled causes some respiratory tract infections (Olomukoro 2005).
- Effect on human health
Olomukoro (2005) also stated in his words that, the chemical content in crude oil accumulates in fishes and other aquatic creatures when consumed by individuals such persons tend to be affected, the hazardous effect of consuming petroleum could be long term with possible poisoning of the blood and heart as well as leading to cancer.
Prevention/management measures of oil spillage
Otalekor (2002) stated that since oil spillage has a deleterious effect on human beings, vegetation and marine life and also constitute hazards to organisms and make land infertile, a major source of livelihood of the people, control or mitigating measures becomes very mandatory, which includes the following:
- 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 environmental friendly affective materials.
- There should be an immediate replacement of weak and fragile pipelines and the recycling of new lines deeply buried in the soil to minimize and prevent spillage burst of pipes.
- Oil companies should provide ways of making oil spillage by vandalization less lucrative through community education and integration necessary to increase awareness among the people on the danger of deliberately causing of oil spillage that can lead to destruction of lives and properties as well as kidnapping but rather seeking redness by legal means.
- There should be a regular forum for the constitution and interaction of all the oil producing areas, stakeholders (e.g. kings, chiefs, youth leaders, oil companies etc.) and the government so as to deliberate on pertinent environmental issues.
Oil spillage/pollution prevention regulations
- Oil pipeline act 1958
- The petroleum act 1969
- Mineral oil (safety) regulations 1997
- Oil in navigation water regulation 1968
- Petroleum refining regulations 1974
- Petroleum (drilling and production) regulation 1969
(Oke (2008) as cited in Olojoba 2009).
Conclusion
This seminar work was carried out to ascertain oil spillage and its environment health impact. The existence of oil spillage and the cause, its effects on the environment (soil, air and water). However, preventive and controls measures were properly stated and the various Acts promulgating against oil spillage and if properly put in place, the problem posed by oil spillage will gradually decrease.
Recommendations
The menace of oil spillage has led to environmental degradation for instance discharge of oil spillage into natural environmental have put threat and damage to the environmental habitat thereby reducing or changing the quality of the environment. The release of crude oil and its toxicity into aquatic environment has pose danger to man and microorganisms in the soil, these degradation also affect farm land, fisheries resources, terrestrial habitat.
Therefore, since human activities have been a major contributing factor to the cause of oil spillage. I hereby deemed it necessary to make the following recommendations:
- Community education and integration to increase awareness among the people on the danger of deliberate causing of oil spillage.
- Selecting means of transportation and routes that limits the risk of accidents.
- Regular use of leak detection devices.
- Conducting maintenance and inspection campaign on a very regular basis.
- Designing facilities that are increasingly reliable, safe and efficient.
References
CEF (2009). Oil Spill. Retrieved on 12th September, 2015 from http://wwwconserve-energy-future.com/effects.
Department of Petroleum Resources (2004). Environmental Guidelines and Standards for Petroleum Industry in Nigeria. Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
EPC (2009). Oil spill Pollution Retrieved on 12th September, 2015 from http://www.environmentalpollutioncentres.org.
Odje, A. M. (2003). Oil, Niger Delta and Nigeria. Benin City: Mindex Press.
Olojoba, A. O. (2009). Millennium Technology in Waste Management and Environmental Pollution Mitigation. Ughelli: Ama-ohoror Press.
Olomukoro, J. O. (2005). Environmental Pollution and its Implication in Nigeria. Benin: University of Benin Press.
Otalekor, O. I. (2002). Fundamentals of Environmental Monitoring vol. 1 and 2.
USDD (2007). Oil Well Fires Environmental Exposure Report. Retrieved on 12th September, 2015 from http://www.gulflink.osd.mil/owf_ii/
Unuraye L. O. and Olojoba A. O. (2005). Fundamentals of Industrial and Environmental Health Management. Ughelli: Ama-Ohoror Press.
Wout, B. (2015). Crisis-induced Learning and Issue Politicization in the EU: the Braer, Sea Empress, Erika, and Prestige oil spill disasters. Retrieved on 12th September, 2015 from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com DOI: 10.1111/padm.12170/full
