Reasons for oil spills

The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council lists a few factors that this tanker went aground in March 1989. All of them are functions of negligence or human being mistakes. While tests revealed the captain of Valdez to own alcohol in the system several hours after the accident, the state of Alaska found him not guilty of operating the vessel intoxicated by alcoholic beverages.

As oil floats regarding the ocean, it spreads quickly across the surface to form an oil slick. Sooner or later, it spreads to form a really thin level, known as a sheen, with a rainbow-like look. Oil spills are harmful to seafood, shellfish, wild birds and marine animals. The oil impacts the capability of fur and feathers to repel liquid and protect the pets from the elements. Oil is also toxic to pets that ingest it in attempts to clean by themselves.

As the Exxon Valdez spill is not any longer among the list of biggest 50 oil spills, it impacted 1, 300 miles of shoreline. Marine biologists estimate it to own killed 250, 000 seabirds, 2, 800 sea otters and 22 killer whales, according to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council.