The wildlife deaths from the oil are bad enough. But people need to prepare.
And the top three most critical things to have on hand are:
- Water,
- Water and
- Water.
http://www.answers.com/...
The contamination of ground water, rivers, lakes, wetlands, estuaries, and oceans can threaten the health of humans. Sources of water pollution are generally divided into two categories. The first is point-source pollution, in which contaminants are discharged from a discrete location. Sewage outfalls and oil spills are examples of point-source pollution.
Water pollution can threaten human health when pollutants enter the body via skin exposure or through the direct consumption of contaminated food or drinking water. Pollutants are transferred up the food chain (in a process called biomagnification), and they can reach levels of concern in fish species that are eaten by humans. Finally, bacteria and viral pathogens can pose a public health risk for those who drink contaminated water or eat raw shellfish from polluted water bodies. See also Environmental toxicology; Food web.
http://www.environmental-law-report....
For those human inhabitants in the area near the spill, and even some who aren't necessarily local, oil spills can sometimes result in kidney and liver damage.
Oil can seep into the soil, affecting groundwater sources and plaguing all who drink that water for years to come. Ingesting food or groundwater contaminated by an oil spill, and the resultant seepage, can cause damage to the digestive tract as well as liver and kidney damage. Even fumes emitting from an oil spill can affect those in close proximity to the spill, nauseating them and possibly rendering them ill if exposure is prolonged.
Exposure to oil spill fumes and contact with the oil can sometimes lead to benzene poisoning. Benzene, a solvent used in the chemical industry, is a known carcinogen, causing an array of cancers, including leukemia. Aside from that, prolonged exposure to oil fumes can ultimately result in damage to the nervous or respiratory systems.
http://www.environmental-law-report....
For those human inhabitants in the area near the spill, and even some who aren't necessarily local, oil spills can sometimes result in kidney and liver damage.
Oil can seep into the soil, affecting groundwater sources and plaguing all who drink that water for years to come. Ingesting food or groundwater contaminated by an oil spill, and the resultant seepage, can cause damage to the digestive tract as well as liver and kidney damage. Even fumes emitting from an oil spill can affect those in close proximity to the spill, nauseating them and possibly rendering them ill if exposure is prolonged.
Exposure to oil spill fumes and contact with the oil can sometimes lead to benzene poisoning. Benzene, a solvent used in the chemical industry, is a known carcinogen, causing an array of cancers, including leukemia. Aside from that, prolonged exposure to oil fumes can ultimately result in damage to the nervous or respiratory systems.
Crucial water survival tips:
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/...
http://www.healthline.com/...
http://www.pbs.org/...
http://www.desertusa.com/...
I have some background here. From July 1998 through December 1999 I was a Y2K-meltdown adherent. In all the survival materials I read, water was always at the top.
To those potentially affected: STOCK UP ON WATER.
To the Federal Government, water bottlers, and everyone else: Get these people bottled water ASAP.