Oil Spills

We all know that oil spills are horrible for the environment, but what if there was a cost efficient way to clean up oil spills that is actually good for the environment.

Oil spills are a horrible accident that is not only bad for the environment, but also bad for the pocketbooks of the American people. Oil spills destroy the plant and animal life in the surrounding area. Animals such as birds are unable to fly do to the oil build up on there wings, and in the attempt to clean themselves are in turn piosoned by the oil. Also, their body temperature drops significantly, thus killing them. And, blinded by oil, birds and other animals are unable to see their predators. Fish are also affected by oil spills. When the fish swim through the oil spill, they collect a residue of oil on themselves. Their predators, needing to survive, eat them, and poison themselves. Oil spills are the cause of some animal's extinction! In short, animals cannot survive through oil spills.

Also the plant life in areas of an oil spill greatly suffer.

But what about at home, in the states?

Here at home we are faced with the inevitable concequence of oil spills. When an oil spill occurs the price of oil sky rockets. We are faced with unbelievably high gas prices, thus limiting automotive mobility and our daily routine. It costs billions of dollars to clean up an oil spill, due to the cost of machinery, labor, and supplies.

But what if there was a solution.

On March 23, 1989, one of the most horrible oil spills in American history occured, the Exxon Valdez oil spill in the Prince William Sound in Alaska. The captian of the oil tanker, Exxon Valdez, saw icebergs on its planned route, but instead of trying to weave around the icebergs, the tanker changed its route completely. The Exxon changed its route and hit shallow land, the Bligh Reef. The Exxon spilled about 125 Olympic swimming pools of oil, thats 108 homes or 430 school classrooms. This spill was devastating.

This devastating spill was cleaned up by a little bacteria called the oil-eating bacteria, and it does exactly what it's name states. This bacteria uses oxygen and iron in some unknown way, currently under study by scientists at MIT, to convert crude oil into carbon-dioxide and water. This bacteria is a cost friendly, environmentally friendly way to clean up any oil spill. Also, the bacteria deplete once the source of oil has run out, leaving nothing.