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Chemicals Used on Oil Spill Pose New Hazards

Less oil reaches shore, but toxins remain in the water

By John Johnson,  Newser Staff

Posted May 1, 2010 2:18 PM CDT

(Newser) – BP has begun using huge amounts of chemical dispersants to contain the oil slick that has tripled in only a day and is now the size of Puerto Rico. (AP has more on the growing size here.) And while those chemicals—being used above and below the surface—will help reduce the amount of oil that makes landfall, they create a whole new set of environmental concerns in the water, reports ProPublica.

The makeup of the dispersants is secret under trade laws, but their toxins can kill fish and collect on the seabed to reenter the food chain. "There is a chemical toxicity to the dispersant compound that in many ways is worse than oil,” says an expert on marine biology. “It’s a trade off—you’re damned if you do damned if you don’t—of trying to minimize the damage coming to shore, but in so doing you may be more seriously damaging the ecosystem offshore."

A tern checks her two eggs on the beach in Gulfport, Miss., Saturday.
A tern checks her two eggs on the beach in Gulfport, Miss., Saturday.   (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
In a photo provided by Greenpeace, birds gather near the mouth of the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico.
In a photo provided by Greenpeace, birds gather near the mouth of the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico.   (AP Photo/Greenpeace, Sean Gardner)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 13 comments
namtrah
May 2, 2010 1:10 PM CDT
they do this because offshore are less people and companies that can sue them. more invisible damage for now
bewilderbeast1
May 2, 2010 8:50 AM CDT
"The makeup of the dispersants is secret under trade laws"!! What dangerous Bullshit! If you want your stuff to be secret, you should NOT be allowed to spread it in places that affect ALL of us. This sounds as if the oil would be the lesser evil, but because we KNOW the oil is BP's they'd rather give us a bigger (but hidden and delayed) danger. Typical Big Corporate wickedness. We need these laws changed too, and don't let them tell us "it's complicated". All we need insert is a simple, plain-language clause IN ALL LAWS that makes it clear "You (the person in charge, not "the legal entity") are responsible for EVERYTHING you do, and you may NOT pass on that responsibilty by sleight of hand".
MisterPlinkett
May 2, 2010 12:37 AM CDT
baaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha. and we have people who think individuals should feel responsible for environmental degradation because we exhale carbon dioxide. millions of people in a life time don't do anywhere near the harm this one company has done in a day.

and after BP fucks all this up, loses the oil, pollutes the water supply and food supply, and ultimately causes all types of cancer and other sickness; it'll be us (the consumer) that foot the bill.

and you know what...GOOD. that's what we get. for allowing ourselves and our children to be indoctrinated into this hyper-corrupted capitalistic system. oil has no business being the center of our lives. it should be on the back burner (no pun) and only used when necessary. not used for EVERYTHING.
Science • US

 
oil spill • chemicals • dispersal • environmental hazards • Gulf oil spill

 
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