KARACHI, Aug 25: Warning against introducing genetically modified bacteria, into the sea, for early degradation of crude oil spilled from an oil tanker, microbiologists have suggested spreading cow-dung along the affected coast, saying it contains naturally occurring bacteria, capable of degrading crude oil into simple and harmless compounds.
Majority of the experts believes that natural degradation of crude oil is a lengthy process and if not monitored regularly, the bacteria may break the oil components into other toxic components, hazardous for both marine as well as human lives.
According to environmentalists, the process of oil degradation may take several decades without the introduction of lab-cultured, specially modified micro-organisms into the oil-polluted seawater.
Unless treated, highly toxic aromatic compounds in the crude oil would continue contaminating the air and underground water in Karachi, besides destroying marine eco-system, the experts feared.
They feared that oil contamination in air and underground water, if anti-slick operation was delayed, might give rise to genetic disorders among children in Karachi.
“Aromatic compounds in the crude oil including phenol are not only cancer-causing but they are major cause of genetic disorders among children. Studies prove that petroleum intoxication results in memory and stamina loss, nausea, muscle weakness and many other disorders, which cannot be treated”, they added.
Currently, authorities were spraying dispersants in order to break the layer of spilled oil into small drops, thinking that it would immediately start degrading by the marine bacteria, they opined.
“Even after the mixing of specially modified oil degrading bacteria into seawater, it will take at least a year for micro-organisms to degrade crude oil into simple water and carbon dioxide,” Dr Nuzhat Ahmed, Director, Centre for Molecular Genetics, University of Karachi, informed the PPI on Monday.
She said that in the natural way, low concentration of bacteria would take 50-60 years to break oil into simpler components.
A CMG team of scientists and researchers, closely monitoring the situation, firmly believe that without artificial introduction of specially modified lab-grown bacteria, the oil will remain at the bottom of the sea for decades.
“And in that case, all the oxygen producing plants and algae, scientifically known as Phytoplanktoms, will immediately perish endangering fish, shrimps, crabs and all other marine organisms,” they informed.
“What we have learnt from the first Gulf War, is that Kuwaiti authorities used lab-cultured genetically modified bacteria for getting rid of oil spilled in their soil and sea and the whole process of degradation and decay took at least a year”, Dr Nuzhat Ahmed said.
The scientists at the CMG are already working on modification of various, bacteria.—PPI
