By: SolaRoofGuy

SolaRoofGuy — Mon, 31 May 2010 23:33:47 +0000

I have a serious question to address to all life science people, I would like to ask you all about the BP Oil Disaster, with reference to my position stated at my Blog – which challenges the strategy of using toxic chemical dispersants at the well-head, where BP is capable of injecting at the source, and is understood to be directly mixing toxic chemical dispersants with the crude oil flow. We know the quantity of these chemicals is vast – one third of the world’s supply has been acquired. Also there is a lack off ongoing disclosure as to the quantities of these chemicals being used. The key issue that I would like to confront – perhaps you can help me to verify this position scientifically – is that reporters (CNN and others) and BP officials (right up to the COO and CEO) are quoted as saying the the resulting toxic mix of crude and dispersant will be “degraded by bacteria” – it is claimed that the toxic soup will be rendered harmless by the natural action of biota of the ocean ecosystem.
My intuition and general knowledge of the toxicity of the dispersants and the blow-out of crude oil and gases from deep reservoirs is that these substances will only kill living organisms of any kind and that dispersants have a biocide action even at great dilution. These materials are not reduced in toxicity as they dilute and are not metabolized by any known bacteria (there may be some efforts to find these bacteria or create GM bacteria with such capability) and that the claims that natural bioprocesses will breakdown the toxins are pseudoscience intended to placate the public opinion. If this issue is not clear and a you cannot state unequivocally that my position is correct, then is it possible that exposure tests can be conducted by UMB or University of Oslo or the marine research agencies of the Norwegian government. I believe that it is very important to know the truth so that over the months ahead (I believe it will be many months before the blow-out is stopped) the world’s oceans can be protected as far as possible. I fear a dead Gulf of Mexico and an Atlantic ecosystem collapse could result from this disaster. Far better that early action is taken for containment that is effect as possible to isolate the damage.
America in the circumstances is not going to do what is best for the world but will try to minimize local impact without consideration of the global picture. You guys all know more people in the ocean science domain then I do – please use your networks to get answers quick as possible.

By: Steve Mullen

Steve Mullen — Sun, 30 May 2010 16:50:45 +0000

It looks like BP is using the Gulf of Mexico for its own private testing area, to see what happens when oil and dispersant meet at a mile underwater. How do we ever clean up oil that lurks under the surface? Seems we are reduced to watching and waiting for it to finally come ashore. It’s the ultimate horror, because there is no real way to determine where those massive underwater plumes will end up.

Comments on: Breaking: Massive New Oil Plume Found Lurking in Gulf

By: SolaRoofGuy

By: Steve Mullen