On April 20, 2010, an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico experienced a blowout. As a direct result of the blowout, more than 200 million gallons of crude oil were pumped into the Gulf of Mexico for a total of 87 days, making it the biggest oil spill in U. S. history. The following are some of the results directly attributed to the oil spill. Choose the appropriate societal impact from the dropdown list provided. - Environmental Damage
- Social Disruption
- Health and Safety risks
a. The initial oil rig explosion killed 11 people and injured 17 others.
b. Of the 400 miles of Louisiana coast, approximately 125 miles were polluted by the oil spill.
c. 170 US Coast Guard vessels, 7,500 employees, and 2,000 volunteers were engaged in grassroots cleanup activities.
d. 4,768 dead animals were collected as of August 2013. 4,080 of those were birds and 525 were sea turtles.
e. The fishing industry in the gulf lost $2.5 billion.
f. The gulf coast tourist industry lost approximately $23 billion in revenue.
g. 108 individuals working on the cleanup efforts reported symptoms including dizziness, vomiting, nausea, headaches, and chest pains, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
h. Investors saw the value of their stock in the affected company drop by 54% in the three months following the oil spill