Health & Impact
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Health and safety are the most important aspects of a person’s life and are aspects every person must take into account when in the workforce and in their everyday life at large. When working in the energy sector, specifically oil, there are many risks that may arise that might compromise the workforce’s health on any given day. “Consequently, short- and long-term health effects might occur from inhaling oil and dispersant chemicals” (Yao-Zhong, 2020). There are many such people who have been affected by oil spills. Those who face health problems, those who were force to abandon their homes and settle elsewhere, and many more. The potential health hazards to these workers may be significant as previous research suggested an association of persistent respiratory symptoms with exposure to oil and oil dispersants (Yao-Zhong Liu, 2016). It is not just the workers, engineers, and environment that is harmed at any given time when an oil spill occurs but also the cleanup force is afflicted by the damage. “Respiratory irritation symptoms have been reported in both cleanup workers” (Yao-Zhong, 2020). In many instances these oil spills result in everlasting permanent harm towards people and their environment. Evidence of genotoxic effects that persisted 5–6 years after the Prestige oil spill incident have been reported (Yao-Zhong, 2020). A healthcare plan specifically for those in the immediate vicinity of those near oil spills is required along with a lockdown protocol and vigorous cleanup. Each oil spill also needs a specific case by case issue. “The delay in water wetting is crucial for an oil sorbent to be used in oil spill cleanup since it may encounter water before oil when used, and therefore affect its oil sorption capacity” (Teik-Thye Lim, 2007)
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