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 areas were expanded. The President and his family swam in the gulf and ate seafood last week. But a University of Georgia (UGA) study found nearly an equal amount of oil in fact remains yet to be recovered and will threaten gulf sea life for years. University of South Florida (USF) researchers said a huge toxic oil plume has settled to the bottom. 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).
Official statements released by the administration declare that most of the BP oil leak has been dispersed to safe levels. . 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 within the water. It might be years, they concluded, before the petrochemicals break down. 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.
Undersea canyon site of toxic oil plume
Further east than previously thought, the USF team concluded that a major portion of the BP oil spill has sunk to the sea floor. CNN reports that original 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. The CNN article quoted a UGA researcher who said the government did not document a 3rd of the hydrocarbons because it did not measure methane and other gas emissions nevertheless in water.
Severe concerns about gulf seafood safety
The BP oil spill will affect gulf seafood safety for years according to the AMA. Within the short term, the Sacramento Bee reports that gulf shellfish will retain dangerous petrochemicals likened to cigarette smoke and soot. Longer term, mercury consumed by fish lower within the food chain will concentrate in large game fish such as tuna, swordfish and mackerel. The report said that over time pregnant women and kids may be warned by their doctors to stay away from gulf seafood.
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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
