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Action to control oil

Although illegal discharges of oil from ships continue to be significant, land-based sources now dominate inputs of hydrocarbons to the marine environment in most regions. The major land-based sources include urban run-off, refineries, municipal waste, and crank case oils. A special category of hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced by the combustion of fossil fuels and transported in the atmosphere, all as being natural constituents of petroleum; crank case oils are a particularly important source of PAHs. The ecological effects of land-based inputs, which are generally chronic and long term, are poorly known. Tainting of seafood can have drastic economic impacts, and there are concerns about the human health impacts of some PAHs. In some areas natural systems probably have a high capacity to assimilate petroleum products.

Priority actions:

• place increased emphasis on reducing chronic hydrocarbon discharges from land-based activities;
• enhance collection and proper disposal (including re-use) of used lubricating oils;
• improve the interception and removal of oils from domestic storm water, as appropriate in the context of costs, capacity, and other environmental priorities; and
• strengthen the risk assessment and management aspects of EIA, as well as accident response, for refineries, pipelines, terminals, and other land-based infrastructure in the oil industry.