ADVISOR, March/April 1995

Interesting Facts about Oil Spills

Just one quart of oil can contaminate up to a quarter million gallons of drinking water or cause an oil slick almost 2 acres in size.
Oil destroys the waterproofing and insulating properties of plumage in birds by disrupting the microscopic structure of the feathers.
Exposing the aerial portions of plants to petroleum products indirectly affects a plant's underground root system. Experimental evidence has showed that oil on vegetation reduces the oxygen diffusion out of both stems and roots.
Backyard mechanics dump more used oil into Michigan's environment each year than the Exxon Valdez spilled into Alaska's Prince William Sound.

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Revised: May 10, 1996
Maintained by Christine Manninen, manninen@glc.org