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Millions of tonnes of plastic debris dumped each year in the world's oceans could pose a lethal threat to whales, according to a scientific assessment to be presented at a key international whaling forum this week. A review of research literature from the last two decades reveals hundreds of cases in which cetaceans - an order including 80-odd species of whales, dolphins and porpoises - have been sickened or killed by marine litter. Entanglement in plastic bags and fishing gear have long been identified as a threat to sea birds, turtles and smaller cetaceans. For large ocean-dwelling mammals, however, ingestion of such refuse is also emerging as a serious cause of disability and death, experts say. Grisly examples abound.

An Exxon Mobil pipeline that runs under the Yellowstone River in Montana ruptured Friday night and leaked for about a half-hour. The New York Times reported that the over 120 residents in the town of Laurel, downstream from the rupture, had to be evacuated because officials feared a possible explosion. Exxon said it had no information on the cause of the incident, which originated from a 12-inch pipeline that runs from Silver Tip to refineries in Billings. The amount of oil that leaked is still being determined. The Billings Gazette reported that the company had dispatched local cleanup teams with absorbent pads to leach up oil from the riverbanks. Exxon's Global Response Team is being sent from Houston. Exxon Mobile said "it deeply regrets this release and is working hard with local emergency authorities to mitigate the impacts of this release on the surrounding communities and to the environment." The company has set up a toll-free hotline to report oil sightings or other concerns. CORRECTION: Previous version of this article incorrectly referred to Laurel as Lauren.

About twenty years ago, Professor Nicholas Ashford of MIT came to Washington and testified before Congress in great detail about how and where safety regulations create jobs and make the economy more efficient in avoiding the costs of preventable injuries and disease.