home

=// EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL //= __//1. What was the disaster? When was it? Where was it?//__ The disaster was called Exxon Valdez oil spill. It happened on 24th of March 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska. An oil tanker was named Exxon Valdez brought 200 million litres oil to Long Beach, California, but when the oil tanker to Prince William Sound, Alaska, it hit to Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef and spilled 10.8 million US gallon, about 40.9 million litres of crude oil. //__2. What chemicals were involved and why are they bad for the environment and people? What were the chemicals being used for?__// The chemicals involved were petroleum (crude oil). Petroleum is mixture very much of hydrocarbons with small amount of other chemical such as sulfate (almost solid and gaseous). It is mixture of different compounds with different properties. They are called hydrocarbon because they only contain the element of hydrogen and carbon. So it will be carbon, hydrogen and sulfate. The chemical symbols : CH4/C2H6/C3H8/C4H10/C5H12/C6H14O2/C2H4/C3H6/C4H8 They are bad for environment and people because the oil cover the surface of the sea, oxygen can't go through water, and mammal live in ocean can't breath. And oil covered mammal ocean animals skin, some of animals breath through skin, when oil cover their skin, it can't breath, too. So, it damage to mammal ocean animals and wildlife. And when the seabird go through the ocean, oil also covered their feather, make seabird heavier, it can't fly and felt into the sea. Oil spill made least each 250,000 sea birds, 2,800 sea otters, 12 river otters, 300 harbor seals, 247 bald eagles and 22 orcas, billions of salmon and herring eggs to death. It is terrible number and make trouble to everybody. Bad for people that it took so much money to clean up. Maybe it further $1 billion. And Prince William Sound,Alaska before, it is tourist attraction, they come here to visit ocean animals, but they are death or pollution now. Oil spill will help to heating up the Earth. Because heat and pressure causes the organic materials to change into crude oil. And when temperature increases, the crude oil will change into natural gas. The chemicals being used for fuel of cars, trucks, airplanes, boats and trains. Also for asphalt roads, lubricants, all of kind of machine, plastic for toy, bottles, food wrap and computer. By Amy Nguyen Duong, 8B