A rosy outlook painted by a government oil leak report is being challenged. National Event Command had concluded in a report that many of the BP oil leak evaporated or had been collected or burned, but 3 reports say nearly the opposite . Shrimping areas were expanded. The President and his family swam within the gulf and ate seafood last week. But a University of Georgia (UGA) study estimates that three quarters of the oil hasn’t been recovered and remains a long-term threat to the ecosystem. On the sea floor, a huge toxic oil plume was detected by University of South Florida (USF) scientists. The oil leak is a long-term threat to human health and gulf seafood safety in a study released by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Government oil spill report said most oil is safely dispersed
Government statements said much of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 had been safely dispersed. The Wall Street Journal reports that National Event Command, which managed the oil spill response, said about half of the 4.9 million gallon BP oil spill had been skimmed or burned. Another 25 percent had evaporated or dissolved. UGA scientists who have led the way in oil plume research since the spill began said up to 79 percent of the oil, as well as its toxic byproducts, are still in the water. They concluded it may be years before the petrochemicals disappear. The clear fact that oil beneath the surface can’t evaporate was pointed out by the scientists. Large oil plumes remain deep below the surface throughout the spill area.
Oil plume settles in ocean floor canyon
The USF team concluded that further east than previously thought a large portion of the BP oil spill has settled to the bottom of the gulf. CNN reports that initial findings from USF conclude that dispersants may have sent droplets of crude to the ocean floor, where it hovers near the bottom of an undersea canyon within 40 miles of the Florida Panhandle. The toxic chemicals in the crude are having a profound effect on plankton and other organisms at the base of the food chain. The oil could resurface later. A UGA researcher told CNN that a 3rd of the hydrocarbons within the form of methane and other gas emissions that remain in the water weren’t measured by the government.
Gulf seafood safety called into question
The safety of gulf seafood can be affected for years by the BP oil spill, as outlined by the AMA. The Sacramento Bee reports that within the short term, gulf shellfish have difficulty clearing their systems of dangerous petrochemicals comparable to those found in cigarette smoke and soot. Longer term, mercury consumed by fish lower in the food chain will concentrate in large game fish such as tuna, swordfish and mackerel. Over time, the report said that doctors may feel compelled to advise pregnant women and children to severely scale back their consumption of gulf seafood.
Additional reading
Wall Street Journal
online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704868604575434074237252604.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories
CNN
cnn.com/2010/US/08/17/gulf.oil.disaster/index.html?npt=NP1
Sacramento Bee
sacbee.com/2010/08/17/2963788/gulf-oil-spill-still-a-threat.html
