ECOLOGICAL ALERT FROM THE HIGH AMAZON:
FACTS ABOUT OIL SPILLS IN ECUADOR
Twenty years of petroleum exploitation in the Ecuadorian
Amazon Region (EAR), have produced ecological destruction and
contamination. One of the most serious types of contamination that
it produces is in the water, a vital part of the Amazon ecosystem.
The companies that are responsible for the damages are TEXACO OIL
COMPANY from USA; CITY, with headquarters in the Bahamas; and
PETROECUADOR, the Ecuadorian state company. These companies have
been in charge of the oil exploitation in the EAR during the last
two decades.
Oil extraction and production uses chemical products such as
inorganic salts and toxic organic sustances which are discharged
directly, untreated, into the waterbodies in the region .
The additives used in treatment of crude oil are toxic and
dangerous to human health and aquatic organisms. Some particularly
dangerous chemicals commonly used are ethylbenzene, xylene,
toluene, ethyleneglycol, and ethylene oxide. These can cause
reproduction problems, birth defects and learning disabilities in
children. Some are known to cause cancer in animals; and therefore
may cause cancer in humans.
With the support of "Comite Ecologico" an Ecuadorian
university environmental group, CORDAVI made a scientific
investigation of the contamination in the EAR for presentation in
a lawsuit (see below). From this research we learned that the
liquids discharged during petroleum production (including
additives) are highly contaminating because of the high
concentration of salts and hydrocarbons. The liquid wastes can
contain more than 31 parts per million (ppm) salts and 1000 ppm
hydrocarbons. These contamination levels signify a grave danger to
the water of the EAR. Our investigation found concentrations of
hydrocarbons up to 10.2 ppm in the rivers near the oil fields and
up to 23.8 ppb (parts per billion) in waters 2-3 Km. from these
fields. The level considered "safe" for aquatic ecosystems is
only 4 ppb. The observed contamination is six to 25,000 times this
level.
It is estimated that 475,000 liters of demulsifiers,
inhibitors, and dispersants are used annually on oil sites in
Amazonian Ecuador. Inevitably this high volume of toxic liquids
ends up in aquatic ecosystems.
The damaging effects of oil activities are both social and
ecological. Social impacts are particularly severe among the
native people and the residents of new towns of the region, known
as "Colonos". These people are periodically poisoned with chemical
and oil residues that are discharged into the rivers.
The contamination also produces ecological damage in the
rainforest. Our studies have shown grave losses in the forests
affected by the oil activity: the loss of 60% of plant families,
71% of plant genera, and 72% of plant species.
Supported by these studies, CORDAVI presented a lawsuit before
the 1992 International Water Tribunal (IWT) in the Netherlands.
The suit established the moral and legal responsability of Texaco,
City and Petroecuador for the ecological damages described above.
Petroecuador said in the Tribunal that the method they are
using is the same that TEXACO used during the last 20 years. These
methods have been widely criticed for their environmental irrespon
sibility. Petroecuador has been using TEXACO's production
infrastructure since June 1991.
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C O R D A V I
P.O.Box 17-12-309 * Quito-ECUADOR
e-mail: root@codavi.ec