A rosy outlook painted by a government oil leak report is being challenged. A conclusion by National Incident Command that the majority of the oil spill within the Gulf of Mexico had been burned, collected or vaporized has been cast into doubt by 3 scientific studies . Shrimping waters were re-opened. The President and his family swam in 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. A study published by the American Medical Association (AMA) reports that the oil leak is a long-term threat to human health and gulf seafood safety.
Government oil spill report said spill has been dispersed
Most of the oil leak within the Gulf of Mexico 2010 has been safely dispersed, according to government statements. National Event Command, according to the Wall Street Journal, said a few weeks ago that burning and skimming had removed half of the 4.9 million gallons dumped into the gulf. An additional 25 percent had either dissolved or evaporated. UGA researchers at the forefront of investigating underwater oil plumes created by the oil spill said as much as 79 percent of the oil and its toxic byproducts nevertheless remain below the surface. The petrochemicals will take years to break down within the environment, they concluded. The group said it was impossible for dissolved oil to evaporate because only oil at the surface can evaporate. 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 leak has settled to the bottom of the gulf further east than previously suspected, according to the USF team. CNN reports the USF study discovered that dispersants evidently have sent droplets of oil to the depths, where it’s suspended in an undersea canyon about 40 miles offshore from the Florida panhandle. Organisms for instance plankton at the bottom of the food chain are reacting strongly to the toxic chemicals within the oil. 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 will be affected for years by the BP oil spill, as outlined by 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. Large game fish for instance tuna, swordfish and mackerel will amass high concentrations of mercury in the long term from consuming fish lower within the food chain. 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
