Within the natural enclave that is the Prince William Sound, marine biologist and toxicologist Dr. Riki Ott has found her ideal laboratory. The coastal area is isolated, has low background contamination and is the sight of the infamous 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
After millions of gallons of oil, estimates range from 11-35 million gallons, spilled from eight cargo holds of the Valdez oil tanker and covered 12,000 coastal miles, the immediate toll on wildlife and the ocean were clearly visible. Now, research on the long-term effects is shaping health policies, environmental laws and legal debate. Ott, a marine scientist and toxicologist, has positioned herself at the crux of it all.
Ott has been studying the effects of petrochemical exposure on cleanup workers and wildlife. The conditions of the Prince William Sound and the money paid by Exxon have allowed public trust scientists to study the sound for 16 years.
"Scientists usually only stay a year or two [at oil spill sites], they stuck in there on this one." Ott said studying the spill has strengthened her belief in the need to strengthen OSHA standards, environmental laws and to reopen the 1991 civil settlement between the governments and Exxon.
The civil case between Exxon and the Alaskan and federal governments ended in 1991 for $900 million. The settlement provided that the governments can reopen the civil suit until Sept. 2006 for unanticipated damage to the habitat such as reduced number of herring fish and sea otter populations.
Ott's research on the toxicity of petrochemicals highlighted effects on the reproduction of wildlife and the food chain in the Prince William Sound, but also includes the effect on human health.
At times, up to 11,000 people worked to clean up the oil spill, about half of that population is now dealing with asthma, depression and chemical sensitivities as a result of their extended exposure to petrochemicals, Ott said.
In some areas, workers used pressurized water to clean up the affected areas. It is now believed the water broke hydrocarbons into the air leading to increased likelihood of respiratory problems. Ott said 385 upper respiratory illnesses were reported per week, every week from May 29 to Sept. 17. This number totaled 6,722.
"This is an epidemic, this is something that should have been stopped," she said during her lecture at the Cook Campus Center Monday. "You give them respirators, you give them something."
Ott said that the increase in asthma and other petrochemical related illnesses in the general population have also increased because of the increased rate of exposure. For example, Ott said that although lead was removed from gasoline in 1989, dioxin, mercury and PCBs are all in gas."
"People have normalized the abnormal. We are not realizing this [increase] could be linked back to too many chemicals," Ott said. "What this means is we need to take the gasoline out of our gas tanks."
While teaching, Professor Emeritus Michael Locandro, taught a course in Alaska in which Ott was a repeated guest speaker. "Dr. Ott has done a tremendous job researching the long term effects of the oil in Prince William Sound and the irresponsibility of big industry," Locandro said. "She is a good scientist and great speaker and roll model."
Students for Environmental Awareness and the department of Human Ecology sponsored Ott's lecture. SEA President Rob Rodriguez described the lecture as "jaw dropping" for people who may not be aware of its negative effects because of the prevalence of oil.
"To see someone come in and talk about it in a simplistic way and use the case study of Exxon Valdez really shows what type of effect oil and petroleum can have on human society," Rodriguez said. "It scares me because in the back of my mind, I was thinking of another oil spill in the Delaware River a couple months ago. How long will research have to be done on that area to know the consequences?"
Her book, "Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$ The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill," was published Jan. 1. All proceeds from her book salesgo to a program educating K-12 students about alternative energy. She will tour through the month of March and among her engagements, plans to speak at Emory School of Law, the Harvard Book Store, Pacific University and the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference.
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