Keskkonnaprobleemid
The animals and plants most at risk are
those that could come into contact with a contaminated sea surface. Marine mammals and
reptiles; birds that feed by diving or form flocks on the sea; marine life on shorelines; and
animals and plants in mariculture facilities.
The most toxic components in oil tend to be those lost rapidly through evaporation when
oil is spilt. Because of this, lethal concentrations of toxic components leading to large scale
mortalities of marine life are relatively rare, localised and short-lived. Sub-lethal effects that
impair the ability of individual marine organisms to reproduce, grow, feed or perform other
functions can be caused by prolonged exposure to a concentration of oil or oil components far
lower than will cause death. Sedentary animals in shallow waters such as oysters, mussels and
clams that routinely filter large volumes of seawater to extract food are especially likely to
accumulate oil components
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