Our Habitat concludes the series on oil and the environment this week, with a look at how oil spills are dealth with and some of teh things locals can do in the event of a spill.

THERE are many methods for dealing with oil spills. The method that is used depends on the quantity and type of oil, the distance from the shoreline, existing and expected weather conditions and the proximity of sensitive habitats.

The amount of time that passes before a spill is reported, and the rate of response as well as the amount of resources avaliable arte also factors that play a role.

The methods, meanwhile, include:

. Natural clean-up (doing nothing which may be valid in some environments);

. Mechanical (use of booms, skimmers, sorbents, pumping, use of earth moving equipment, high pressure hosing, hot water/stem treatment);

. Chemical (use of dispersants, surface-active agents and gels);

. sinking (sprinkling of sand on the oily water, which then sinks);

. Burning (of floating oil on water, as well as absorbed oil from other clean-up methods); and

. Enhanced biodegradation (biodegradation of oil occurs naturally).

Research is on-going for environmentally friendly and cost effective clean-up methods.

What you can do

Step one. If a spill is observed, the first course of action is to call one of the nominated response agencies. These are the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the police, the Coast Guard the Fire Department or the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

If you unable to get through, then call in to one of the local radio stations and request that a public broadcast be made to alert one of the agencies. ODPEM also keeps a record of all disasters in the island, including oil spills. Information is available from their Revised Catalogue or Disasters.

Step two. If you are in an area that is crowded and people are gathering quickly, try to keep them – especially children – away from the spill. At teh smae time, ensure that you and others around you follow a few simple, but extremely important rules – NO SMOKING, NO NAKED LIGHT, and NO TRAFFIC.

If the spill is on land and is moving toward a water-way such as a river, stream, gully or water tank, try to stop the oil by building a berm. This can be done using available material, such as rocks, stones, dirt sand, leaves or trash. Banana trash has been shown to be a particularly good absorbent.

Step three. Take precautionary measures. These include moving people upwind as toxic fumes given off by volatile components of the oil can have serious effects. If the spill is in the sea or river, avoid swimming and do not catch or eat any fish or shellfish until the authorities have examined the area. Do not collect water for drinking.

What the community can do

The Rio Cobre spill that occurred in 2000 was a good example of a community response and involvement in clean-up. Approximately 7.500 gallons of crude oil was spilt from an overturned truck.

The oil spilled onto the road and flowed into a gully, which led to the contamination of the Rio Cobre’s terrestrial and aquatic environments.

The Fire Department was on hand early to deal with the terrestrial clean-up and members of the community participated in securing sand and dirt. Unfortunately, the clean-up response for the riverine environment was slower and adequate response did not occur until the second day.

The oil contaminated a mile of the river. The Coast Guard deployed oil booms and sorbent pads, and these were very effective in containing the spill and in absorbing the surface slick. Members of the community were involved in manual clean-up, which involved physically removing oiled vegetation. More than people were informally recruited, given on-the-spot training and put to work.

Dress the part

During clean-up operations, proper clothing must be worn and this includes gloves, long sleeve shirts/bluoses, long pants, sturdy shoes or overalls if available. This is to prevent contamination of the skin as oil has many toxic components and skin irritations may occur. Facemasks should also be used to prevent inhalation of toxic fumes.

Unfortunately, during the Rio Cobre spill, people were observed playing in the river, swimming, bathing and washing clothes. This is DANGEROUS as the full extent of the effects of the spill was not known and such activities may hamper the work of the clean-up crew and help to spread the oil.

The polluter pays principle

For fishermen whose boats and equipment are damaged compensation may be possible, but only if the area bas been declared by the Fisheries Division. For terrestrial spills and other marine concerns, compensation should also be possible because of the polluter pays principle.

This means that the person or people responsible for the spill is/are responsible for the costs of clean-up and compensation. Sometimes this is a lengthy process, and the polluter may not be immediately identifiable or readily found.

Dr Margaret Jones Williams is a director and principal consultant at Environmental Solutions Ltd, an environmental management services company with head offices in Kingston, Jamaica.