Most are concerned about the government oil spill report that came out and is now being debated. The oil within the Gulf of Mexico has mostly all been burned, vaporized or collected, says National Incident Command which is actually argued by scientists who did three studies on the subject. Getting shrimp is now allowed again for shrimpers. The president and his family swam in the gulf and ate seafood last week. However, 75 percent of the oil has yet to be collected and will threaten the ecosystem for years, as outlined by a University of Georgia (UGA) study. University of South Florida (USF) researchers have found an additional oil plume on the sea floor. The American Medical Association (AMA) reports that human health and seafood safety will be hurt by the oil spill for a long time.
Government reports the spill to have dispersed
The government claims the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 has had oil mostly all dispersed. Burning and skimming has only taken away 4.9 million gallons of the oil in the spill says National Incident Command in a Wall Street Journal article. There has also been 25 percent that evaporated away. There is nevertheless up to 79 percent of oil and toxins in the water as outlined by some of the essential UGA scientists. Years could be required before a breakdown of petrochemicals might actually happen. The scientists pointed out the clear fact that 25 percent of the oil couldn’t have evaporated unless it was on the surface. Large plumes of oil are nevertheless trapped within the area.
Toxic oil plume found in an undersea canyon
There is a lot of the oil spill that has ended up settling in the bottom of the gulf, reports the USF team. According to CNN, an undersea canyon 40 miles offshore has droplets of oil in it because of the dispersing, says the USF study. Organisms, like plankton, at the bottom of the food chain are reacting strongly to the toxic chemicals within the oil. The surface has oil that might come out again. CNN talked to a UGA researcher who explained that the government failed to account for a 3rd of the hydrocarbons such as methane, and others, that are still in the water.
Safety of gulf seafood a concern
The safety of gulf seafood can be hurt for a when, says the AMA, from the BP oil spill. According to the Sacramento Bee, shellfish will continue to have petrochemicals, like cigarette smoke, in them for a while. Big game fish like tuna, swordfish and mackerel will amass high concentrations of mercury within the long term from consuming fish lower within the food chain. Avoid gulf seafood if you’re pregnant or have small kids around.
Discover more information on this subject
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
