Preface 



This is a report about oil and its ef- 

 fects in marine environments, a techni- 

 cally complex subject that is further 

 shrouded by controversy between con- 

 flicting interests. This report focuses on 

 an investigation of a modest oil spill 

 which occurred at West Falmouth, 

 Massachusetts in September, 1969. 

 The West Falmouth study was con- 

 ducted by Dr. Howard Sanders, the 

 late Dr. Max Blumer, and their col- 

 leagues from the Woods Hole Oceano- 

 graphic Institution. Substantially 

 supported by EPA's Office of Research 



and Development, the work of Dr. 

 Sanders and his associates comprises 

 what is probably the most rigorous and 

 comprehensive investigation ever made 

 of a single spill event. The West 

 Falmouth study provides a solid ad- 

 vance in the understanding of oil pollu- 

 tion in the ocean, and its effects on 

 coastal areas. 



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