Volodymyr Vyshnivetskyy/istockphoto
DCL
So beguiling yet so dangerous, the term gasoline rainbow is often used to describe any type of toxic poison swirled in roadside puddles. Oil, for example, doesn't mix with water, so it spreads into a hovering?often colorful?layer. Taking things to their inevitable end, a gasoline rainbow may also occur in the midst of a massive oil spill. "Not surprisingly, oil slicks cause untold damage to algae, seaweed, plant life, fish, birds, sea mammals, shellfish, and the soil and rocks on beaches," explain the folks at WiseGeek.
"Oil sticks to everything, creating multiple mortal hazards. It can prevent dolphins or whales from breathing, drown birds that can't swim away, or intoxicate fish and animals that drink or eat it. Sand and rocks may need to be dug up and thrown away if oil seepage makes them impossible to clean. Even years after an area has been hit with an oil slick, the ecosystem shows evidence of the disaster with lower biomass and fewer species."
[url='http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/06/china_mexico_an_1.php',Alex Pasternack of TreeHugger adds[/url]: "A whole rainbow of toxic chemicals and metals can be found in the rivers, groundwater, and indoor dusts in southern China and in districts near New Delhi where electronics are recycled."
