Environment & Energy
Related: About this forumGulf Spill Sampling Questioned
An analysis of water, sediment and seafood samples taken in 2010 during and after the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has found higher contamination levels in some cases than previous studies by federal agencies did, casting doubt on some of the earlier sampling methods.
The lead author, Paul W. Sammarco of the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, said that dispersants used to break up the oil might have affected some of the samples. He said that the greater contamination called into question the timing of decisions by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to reopen gulf fisheries after the spill and that it might be time to review the techniques that are used to determine such reopenings.
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Like other studies after the spill, the new analysis, published last week in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin, found that components of oil were distributed along the Gulf Coast as far west as Galveston, Tex. about 300 miles from the well site and southeast to the Florida Keys.
But the study found higher levels of many oil-related compounds than earlier studies by NOAA scientists and others, particularly in seawater and sediment. The compounds studied included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, some of which are classified as probably carcinogenic, and volatile organic compounds, which can affect the immune and nervous systems.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/20/science/earth/new-analysis-of-gulf-oil-spill.html
Fireboat crews battling a blaze at the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, off Louisiana, on April 21, 2010, a day after the rig exploded, killing 11 workers and resulting in the blowout of an exploratory well owned by BP. Ultimately, roughly 200 million gallons of crude oil gushed into the gulf.
juajen
(8,515 posts)I wonder if they will ever admit it, either the oil interests or our government? I still refuse to eat seafood from the gulf, and, believe me, that seafood is sorely missed by me. I was very spoiled by its availability.
Rhiannon12866
(202,983 posts)But most people have a short attention span. Unless they're directly affected, this is yesterday's news for most in this country.
onestepforward
(3,691 posts)It was at the top of my favorites list, but no more.