Community | May 07, 2010 | 20 comments

Crews drop 150K gallons of dispersant on oil slick

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100506/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_cleanup_1

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CarlosBobthe3rd
ROBERT, La. – A Coast Guard official says good weather in the Gulf of Mexico is allowing crews to conduct more controlled oil burns and drop thousands of gallons of chemicals on the slick.

Officer 3rd Class Brandon Blackwell said Thursday that good weather allowed 18 flights to drop 150,000 gallons of chemical a day earlier. The chemical breaks down the oil on the water's surface and helps prevent it from reaching the shore.

But marine scientists say the oil balls suspended in the water can also be consumed by bacteria, which can pass toxins up the food chain.

Crews also skimmed 588,000 gallons of an oil-water mixture and conducted five controlled burns.

More fires are scheduled for Thursday.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100506/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_cleanup_1
  1. groups:
    Community,   Green
  2. tags:
    Oil,  spill,  drops,  disperse
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20 comments // Crews drop 150K gallons of dispersant on oil slick

  • captainplanet71
  • dharmadogpictures
  • dharmadogpictures
  • inyourstory
  • Kurta
    • +2
      Kurta  

    • I'm not a huge fan of sending oil to the bottom of the ocean. I really have a bad feeling about this stuff. Supposedly, this stuff is safe but every fibre of my being tells me this is going to come back and bite us in the ass. I really hope it works.

    • 2 years ago
  • treewolf39
  • idealist
  • captainplanet71
    • +3
      captainplanet71  

    • Just want to repost a comment someone who's worked in the oil industry for nearly 30 years posted to a story I posted about the use of dispersants in this case:

      "Dispersants are meant to emulsify oil and water, not separate them! The strategy employed by BP/Nalco/EPA is totally flawed and was influenced by a massive amount of "entertainment", employed by Nalco upper management 20 years ago. Their product and strategy flies in the face of basic oil/water separation principles. The MMS (Materials Management Service) has banned the use of dispersants injected into produced water discharges to hide oil sheens in the Gulf of Mexico, yet BP/Nalco will now pump thousands of gallons of toxic "detergent", into the environment to hide the oil sheen! Wash your oily clothes, using detergent, and then dump this water into your aquarium. You will then clearly see the affect of oily, chemically emulsified water on aquatic life. Of course, since the NALCO reps are paid on commission we should not expect them to be honest."

    • 2 years ago
  • lifestudentno83
  • EmperorThan
    • 0
      EmperorThan  

    • "This just in oil dispersant causes cancer, horrible, severely painful cancer. BP has said publically that their scientists have found nothing in the oil dispersant that should cause cancer so they will NOT be cleaning it up."

      "And now in unrelated news, BP lobbyists successfully lobbied congress so as to avoid a congressional hearing into possible cancer causing oil dispersant waste cleanup. Democratic congressmen ran around in a circle drooling on themselves during the meeting and were quoted after as saying they would not pursue any further hearings into the matter..."

    • 2 years ago
  • dharmadogpictures
  • dharmadogpictures
    • +3
      dharmadogpictures  

    • We will find in the very near future, that this creates even more toxicity to the ocean and the environment. There have not been studies on this dispersant and the company who is creating is not talking! Check out Rachael Madows Video on what this process is supposed to be about

    • 2 years ago
  • SalvadoreSouza
    • +2
      SalvadoreSouza  

    • whyyyyyyy! why do we still use this shitty dirty fuel? It's putting america further & further in debt & fucking up our wholllleee planet. Soo much shit has been caused by oil. We've got a whole fucking sun, let's use itt!

    • 2 years ago
  • simguy665
  • ThoughtNu
    • +4
      ThoughtNu  

    • This is a true tragidy of 'progress' at a time when 'we' should be altering our focus from petrolium . These corporations could have easily been held to higher standards which is the only way to alter any toxic activity on 'our' enviorment.

      The madness of shrinking the size of globuals simplifies it's ingestion by the local eco system, Insuring it's long term , sustained damage ...madness to keep the 'surface damage' off the raidar.

      Brought to you by a company that profited only 15 billion last year in (corporate) North America.. dont ya think this country could have a better use for 15 billion

    • 2 years ago
  • hunzedog
  • ThoughtNu
    • +1
      ThoughtNu  
    • hunzedog:

      Yeah, and now the corporations have the same rights as citizens? Well what do you think would happen to a 'living' citizen if 'they' did this, and was caught? I never saw any company sittng besides me in jail either

    • 2 years ago
  • hunzedog
  • CalgarC
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