What Causes Oil Spills?
When oil of any type is released into the natural environment, the result is termed an oil spill. Most people think of marine oil spills when they visualize an oil spill, but the escape of oil into the natural environment is a problem on land as well. Since many humans rely heavily on petroleum products such as plastic, fuel, and lubricating oil, oil spills are an unfortunate byproduct of the human way of life. A number of things cause oil spills, ranging from carelessness to deliberate dumping. Many people are familiar with tanker accidents, since they are highly publicized and they release large volumes of oil into the ocean. In fact, only a small percentage of global oil spills are related to tanker accidents such as explosions, hull failure, running aground, and collisions. These oil spills tend to be very harmful because of the sheer volume of oil released at once, posing a serious threat to marine animals and seabirds. They are also used to attract attention to the larger issue o
