Oil blobs are poisonous, stay off it!
Not much is known about its origin. This can be old fuel oil, but also oil that was recently discharged into the high seas during the storm. Some ships flush their tanks because there are fewer aircraft checks.
the lab of the Operational Service Nature, in the old naval barracks of Ostend they specialize in fuel oil analysis. It is part of an international network of environmental labs that analyze pollution. An investigating judge has yet to give the order, but the samples of the recent contamination are already ready here. Marijke Neyt, Laboratory OD Nature Ostend: "We are specialized in oil fingerprinting. That’s a comparative analysis that we do. We are also accredited for that, for 20 years. We can also tell what kind of oil it is.”
Unique DNA
Each oil thus receives a DNA and is uniquely detectable. It is compared with international databases and also with samples from tanks of suspect ships. Oil pollution on our beaches is rarer than, say, 20 years ago. The last time was with disasters like the Flinterstar and the Tricolor. But it remains a very dirty and toxic product. “In any case, heavy fuel oil is a toxic product. It must be handled with care. It is carcinogenic. It contains PAKS, polyaromatic hydrocarbons and they are carcinogenic.”
It can affect the lungs and cause irritation to the skin. The call to keep off and watch out for dogs is certainly appropriate in the lab. “I would have as little contact with them as possible. Also for the cleaners: definitely use gloves.”