Botello A V, Villanueva S, Díaz G
Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, UNAM, México D.F., México.
Rev Environ Contam Toxicol. 1997;153:91-118. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4612-2302-3_3.
In 1976, IOC-UNESCO and UNEP convened a meeting in Port of Spain to analyze the marine pollution problems in the region, noting that petroleum pollution was of regionwide concern and recommended initiating a research and monitoring program to determine the severity of the problem and monitor its effects. The Wider Caribbean is potentially one of the largest oil-producing areas in the world. Major production sites include Louisiana and Texas in the U.S.; the Bay of Campeche, Mexico; Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela; and the Gulf of Paria, Trinidad. All these are classified as high-risk production accident zones. Main sources of petroleum pollution in the Wider Caribbean are production, exploitation, transportation, urban and municipal discharges, refining and chemical wastes, normal loading and unloading operations, and accidental spills. About 5 million barrels of crude oil are transported daily in the Caribbean, thus generating an intense tanker traffic. It has been estimated that oil discharges from tank washings within the Wider Caribbean could be as high as 7 million barrels/yr. The results of the Caribbean Pollution Regional Program (CARIPOL) conducted between 1980 and 1987 pointed out that significant levels of petroleum pollution exist throughout the Wider Caribbean, including serious tar contamination of windward exposed beaches, high levels of floating tar within the major current systems, and very high levels of dissolved and dispersed hydrocarbons in surface waters. Major adverse effects of this type of pollution include: high tar levels on many beaches that either prevent their recreational use or require very expensive cleanup operations, distress and death for marine life, and responses in the enzyme systems of marine organisms that have been correlated with declines in reproductive success. Finally, the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in tissues of important economic species has been reported, creating a risk for public health because of the potential carcinogenic effects.
1976年，国际奥委会、联合国教科文组织和联合国环境规划署在西班牙港召开会议，分析该地区的海洋污染问题，指出石油污染是全区域关注的问题，并建议启动一项研究和监测计划，以确定问题的严重程度并监测其影响。大加勒比地区有可能是世界上最大的石油生产地区之一。主要生产地点包括美国的路易斯安那州和得克萨斯州；墨西哥的坎佩切湾；委内瑞拉的马拉开波湖；以及特立尼达的帕里亚湾。所有这些都被列为高风险生产事故区。大加勒比地区石油污染的主要来源包括生产、开采、运输、城市和市政排放、炼油和化学废物、正常装卸作业以及意外泄漏。加勒比地区每天约有500万桶原油运输，因此油轮交通繁忙。据估计，大加勒比地区内洗舱水的石油排放量可能高达每年700万桶。1980年至1987年开展的加勒比污染区域计划（CARIPOL）的结果指出，整个大加勒比地区都存在严重的石油污染，包括迎风暴露海滩的严重焦油污染、主要洋流系统内大量的漂浮焦油，以及地表水中极高水平的溶解和分散碳氢化合物。这类污染的主要不利影响包括：许多海滩上焦油含量高，要么使其无法用于娱乐，要么需要非常昂贵的清理作业；海洋生物的痛苦和死亡；以及海洋生物酶系统的反应，这与繁殖成功率下降有关。最后，据报道重要经济物种的组织中存在多环芳烃（PAHs），由于其潜在的致癌作用，对公众健康构成风险。
