SOCIO-ECONOMIC
EFFECTS
Fisheries
and aquaculture
An oil spill can have a number of direct and indirect
effects on fisheries.
Valuable fishing and shellfish areas may be closed for fishing
for shorter or longer periods because of the risks of the
catch being tainted by oil. Concentrations of petroleum contaminants
in fish and crab tissue, as well as contamination of shellfish,
could pose a significant potential for adverse human health
effects, and until these products from nearshore fisheries
or aquaculture have been cleared by the health authorities,
they could be banned from human consumption. Indirectly, the
fisheries sector will suffer a heavy loss if consumers are
either stopped from using or unwilling to buy fish and shellfish
from the region affected by the spill. As concluded by the
Third
R&D Forum on high-density oil response (2002), "sunken
heavy fuel oil may have significant impact on seabed resources
and fishing and mariculture activities".
Boats and gear may be directly damaged by an oil spill. Floating
and fixed equipment extending above the sea surface are the
ones most likely to be smeared.
Tourism
and recreation
It goes without saying that contamination of the shoreline
with oils is a common characteristic of many oil spills, and
when attractive coastal beaches and resorts are affected the
costs could be high as it may seriously restrict such recreational
activities as bathing, boating, angling and diving for shorter
or longer periods of time. As a result, hotel and restaurant
owners, and others who have their income from recreational
activities in the coastal zone boat renters, diving
tour operators, angling tour operators and many more
may suffer significant economic losses.
Industry
Many industries are depending on clean water, e.g., for cooling
purposes in nuclear, other power plants and desalination plants.
The facilities can be negatively affected if the risk getting
oil into their water intakes. The result may be contamination
of piping systems which in turn may require that the plant
is shut down while cleaning is carried out.
EFFECTS
ON HUMAN HEALTH
People's health could be adversely affected by oils either
when inhaling or touching oil products, or when eating contaminated
sea food.
When cleaning up oil products from the water surface or the
shoreline, one must always take certain precautions. One needs
to wear a face mask or filter mask be protected from inhaling
vapours from oils. One also needs to use protective clothing
to avoid getting in skin contact with the oil and protective
clothing means oil- and waterproof gloves and oil- and waterproof
clothes that cover at least the front of one's body, as well
as strong rubber boots. The same safety precautions, in principle,
apply to people who risk coming into contact with lingering
oil on beaches one should always avoid touching it,
and in an acute phase one should be careful not to inhale
vapours from oil slicks.
As mentioned above, concentrations of petroleum contaminants
in fish and crab tissue, as well as contamination of shellfish,
could pose a significant potential for adverse human health
effects, and until these products from nearshore fisheries
or aquaculture have been cleared by the health authorities,
they could be banned from human consumption. However, oil-tainted
fish and shellfish will usually taste bad, and that in itself
will keep people from eating these products.
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