Scientists are challenging the optimistic scenario presented by a government oil leak report. Three reports cast serious doubt on the conclusion by National Incident Command that nearly 3 quarters of the oil had been collected, burned or evaporated . Shrimping areas were expanded. President Obama ate shellfish and swam within the gulf last week with his family. Nevertheless, 75 percent of the oil has yet to be collected and will threaten the ecosystem for years, according to a University of Georgia (UGA) study. University of South Florida (USF) researchers said a huge toxic oil plume has settled to the bottom. An American Medical Association (AMA) study concludes that the oil leak will threaten human health and gulf seafood safety for the long term.
Government oil leak report said spill has been dispersed
Official statements released by the administration declare that most of the BP oil leak has been dispersed to safe levels. The Wall Street Journal reports that the federal National Event Command said earlier this month that half of the 4.9 million gallons of oil spilled had been burned off or skimmed. An additional 25 percent had either dissolved or evaporated. UGA scientists who have led the way in oil plume research since the spill started said up to 79 percent of the oil, also as its toxic byproducts, are nevertheless in the water. The petrochemicals will take years to break down within the environment, they concluded. The clear fact that oil beneath the surface can’t evaporate was pointed out by the scientists. Throughout the spill area, large oil plumes are trapped within the depths.
Deepwater canyon holds massive oil plume
A large portion of the BP oil spill has settled to the bottom of the gulf further east than previously suspected, as outlined by the USF team. CNN reports the USF study found that dispersants evidently have sent droplets of oil to the depths, where it is suspended in an undersea canyon about 40 miles offshore from the Florida panhandle. Plankton and other organisms at the base of the food chain showed a “strong toxic response” to the crude. The oil could return to the surface eventually. The CNN article quoted a UGA researcher who said the government did not document a third of the hydrocarbons because it did not measure methane and other gas emissions nevertheless in water.
Gulf seafood safety faces long term threat
The safety of gulf seafood can be affected for years by the BP oil spill, according to the AMA. The Sacramento Bee reports that in the short term dangerous petrochemicals resembling cigarette smoke and soot will remain within the systems of gulf shellfish. By consuming fish lower within the food chain, large game fish for instance tuna, swordfish and mackerel will accumulate high concentrations of mercury in the long term. As time goes on, the report said doctors may be warning pregnant women and children to strictly limit the amount of gulf seafood they eat.
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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
