Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico Impacts of Oil on Marine Mammals
and Sea Turtles [ Download printer-friendly PDF ] Oil is a
mixture of chemicals, all of which may have different effects on
marine animals and the combination may be even more hazardous.
In addition, some of the chemicals and methods used to clean up
oil spills may also have effects on marine animals. Toxicity or
harmful effects are dependent upon: - the mixture and types of
chemicals that make up the oil or are used to clean up the oil,
- the amount of exposure (dose for internal exposures or time
for external exposures), - the route of exposure (inhaled,
ingested, absorbed, or external), and - the biomedical risk
factors of the animal (age, sex, reproductive stage, and health
tatus). For turtles this will include differing impacts and
vulnerabilities at the different life stages such as eggs, post-
hatchlings, juveniles and adults. For cetaceans this will
include neonates, calves, juveniles and adults. Research on
dolphins in human care has sho