The Danger of Oil Dispersants

With so much news being made about the oil cap finally siphoning off the gusher from the Gulf of Mexico, it is easy for many to believe that the worst of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is over.

Unfortunately, the long-term effects of the recent environmental disaster remain unknown and one effect that is of great concern is the widspread use of oil dispersants.

Oil dispersants are intended to break down the oil so that the slick dissipates and as it does, small water-soluble particles are formed allowing the oil to be dispersed over a large area of water. The intention with adding dispersants into the oil-infested Gulf following the spill was to dilute the slick so that it biodegrades instead of it remaining as one massive sludge that could choke wildlife and vegetation.

But these well-meant intentions may be doing much more devastation than good. Laboratory tests have shown that dispersants increase toxic hydrocarbon levels in fish and may also kill fish eggs.

“The unprecedented use of dispersants, which are toxic to shrimp and young marine life, is very concerning,” said John Williams, the director of Southern Shrimp Alliance.

“The widespread dumping of dispersants… on the surface of the water and deep in the Gulf of Mexico near the source of the oil spill is an unprecedented and risky response that may be more damaging than the oil itself.”

The dispersant chemicals “relocate the oil from the shores to the water column where it will be spread by currents to vital reproductive grounds throughout the western Gulf of Mexico,” said Williams.

The kind of dispersant that is being used is called Dispersant Corexit 9500. BP has dumped more than 1.8 million gallons of  the dispersant in the Gulf since the disaster on April 20.

According to the New Jersey Department of Public Health, this dispersant “may be absorbed through the skin; should be handled as a carcinogen – with extreme caution. It can irritate the skin and eyes with possible eye damage; can irritate the nose and throat; can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Can cause headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, and passing out and may damage the liver and kidneys.”

On July 15, the New York Times reported that  the U.S. EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson, urged Congress to take up legislation strengthening her agency’s authority over oil dispersants in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico gusher, calling for more testing and disclosure of the chemical ingredients in the controversial spill-fighting products.

Under the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act, Nalco, the manufacturer of Corexit 9500, does not have to release the ingredients of its product.

Tags: oil dispersant, oil spill