Environmental impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010)

Environmental impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (2010)

1. People

   • 11 workers went missing
     • Multiple ships were sent to douse the flames and were uncessfull
   • Aquatic ecosystem is damaged
   • Sea food consumed by humans are contaminated and cause health issues when consumed.

2. Places

   • Lousiana Coast
     • Drilling an exploratory well at a water depth of 1,500m about 66km off the coast
   • Chandeleur Islands
     • The oilspill covered 1,500 sq kilometer
   • Gulf of Mexico
   • Florida

3. Background

   • Deepwater horizon oil spill referred as the BP oil disaster. The gulf of Mexico oil spill began on 20th April 2010.And it is considered the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, an estimated 8% to 31% larger in volume than the previously largest, the Ixtoc I oil spill. The US Government estimated the total discharge at 4.9 million barrels. After several failed efforts to contain the flow, the well was declared sealed on 19 September 2010Reports in early 2012 indicated the good site was still leaking.