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The Environment - How Much Oil Is Dumped Into The Seas?
How much oil is dumped into the seas?
Every year, well over 3 million metric tons of oil contaminate the seas. (One metric ton equals .91 short tons; one short ton equals 2,000 pounds.) Half of this oil comes from ships, with the rest coming from land-based pollution. Only 33 percent of the oil is spilled by accident. More than 1.1 million metric tons of oil are deliberately discharged from the washing out of tankers.
| Source of oil | Percent of total |
| Tankers operational discharge | 22 |
| Municipal wastes | 22 |
| Tanker accidents | 12.5 |
| Atmospheric rainout (oil released by industry and cars) | 9.5 |
| Bilge and fuel oils | 9.0 | ...
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