Oil Spill By Susan Olsen

What Is Oil? Crude oil is a naturally-occurring substance found in certain rock formations in the earth. It is a dark, sticky liquid made up of carbon and hydrogen. Crude oil is highly flammable and can be burned to create energy.

Oil and Water Why don’t oil and water mix? Oil doesn’t dissolve in water because the compounds that make up oil and water are different from each other. Detergent When you add detergent to a mix of oil and water, and shake, the oil is broken up into a suspension of fine droplets, each with a thin coat of detergent. They don't dissolve oil, they simply allow it to be broken up into tiny bits which can then be washed away.

Good & Bad This makes it great for cleaning birds…(or oily pots and pans.) But bad for detecting oil in our lakes, streams, and oceans!

What Causes a Spill? People making mistakes or being careless Equipment breaking down Natural disasters (i.e. hurricanes) Illegal dumpers

Oil Spills

What was the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill? The Exxon Valdez incident was a major oil spill that took place on March 24, 1989 at Prince William Sound in Alaska. The tanker hit shallow land and spilled about 125 Olympic-sized swimming pools (11 million gallons) of oil into the ocean. In danger were ten million migratory shore birds and waterfowl, as well as fish, otters, and other animal life.

Sea Birds Oil spills may kill or injure sea birds. Oil destroys the birds protective layer of feathers and down. Birds may swallow or breath in the oil. This can poison the bird or cause it to suffocate. Baby birds can be born with lots of problems if their egg came in contact with oil.

How Can We Help? Reduce oil consumption by using less electricity and gasoline. (Turn out the lights!!!) Recycle appropriately…never pour oil down the drain!!! Can you think of any way to help?