April of 2010 saw the worst environmental disaster of the decade when an oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. It resulted in an oil spill, which up to this day, has not been fully contained. Despite the efforts to keep the spill under control, the effects of that explosion to the environment are sure to last for years, even decades.
This disaster poses a great threat to the environment and to humanity. The oil in the surface contains toxins that can contaminate marine life, which humans and animals alike greatly depend on. Birds that feed on fishes that live near the surface of the ocean will surely starve to death. Toxins from oil can destroy sea grass that serves as food for these fishes, which in turn serve as food for the sea birds. And as the birds touch the water or the ground, they may be caught in the oils, causing them to drown. Their carcasses are most likely to be eaten by other fish that would pass toxic poison to mammals like whales.
Mild exposure to oil can cause abnormality in the production of marine life, which humans rely on for food. The food chain has greatly been affected by the oil spill. Very soon, people will see less of that seafood cuisine of shrimp and squid.
Even the means to control the oil spill posed more threat to marine life. Chemical dispersant that are used to remove oil from the surface of the water are just as toxic than the oil itself. One could only hope for the best as the efforts to fight this disaster continues. But whether it succeeds or fails, the aquatic life in the Gulf of Mexico will never be the same again.