Scientists Still Find Dispersants in Gulf Of Mexico

Just because you don't see it doesn't mean its not there.

More bad news for the Gulf region: the Corexit dispersant used by BP during the Deepwater Horizon disaster does not degrade over time, despite what people hoped. As it turns out, scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution could still detect the dispersant in the ocean 2 to 3 months after use of the dispersants had ended, 200 miles from the wellhead.

In studies of residual oil and gas plume deep in the ocean, scientists detected what’s known as dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DOSS, CAS# 577-11-7), a substance found in Cortexit which was applied to the tune of 800,000 gallons following the wellhead cap. It was supposed to mix with the oil the disperse it before it hit the ocean’s surface ...

 

 

Though the levels of DOSS that were detected were below toxicity values for shallow or coastal estuary dwelling organisms, no tests have been done to determine the potential impacts this chemical could have in deep water environments. One of the study’s authors explains that these results, “nevertheless warrant toxicity studies into possible effects on corals and deep-water fish such as tuna,” and that the EPA and others have already begun or are planning such research.

This just confirms that there is no “away” even in the vast oceans.

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