Oil dispersants

Oil dispersants are chemicals designed to break up oil. They have been released into the ocean in large quantities following major oil spills, including the 1989 Exxon-Valdez spill in Alaska, the 1978 Amoco-Cadiz spill off the coast of Normandy, and the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. However, dispersants are ineffective in cleaning up the spilled oil, only serving to effectively hide it from public view and TV cameras by dispersing it throughout the water column. Chemicals used as oil dispersants are frequently toxic and releasing them into the ocean adds to the toxic effect of the oil on the ocean ecosystem and makes the oil harder to clean up. According to Terry Hazen, a microbial ecologist in Berkeley Lab's Earth Sciences Division, "the concentration of detergents and other chemicals used to clean up sites contaminated by oil spills can cause environmental nightmares of their own."

Disperants in the 1978 Amoco Cadiz Spill

In 1978, the Amoco Cadiz oil tanker released 227,000 tons of oil three miles off the coast of Normandy, France. Some areas were treated with dispersants, whereas other areas were not. Five years after the spill, the areas not treated with dispersants had recovered. However, the areas treated with dispersants had not recovered 30 years later, according to ecological studies.

Dispersants in the 1989 Exxon Valdez Spill

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker spilled 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound in Alaska, impacting 1300 miles of coastline. Dispersants, rich in phosphorous and nitrogen compounds, and fertilizers were released as part of the clean-up effort. The treated areas were "dramatically cleaner" after the first year, but following the second year, scientists observed no improvements and have "grim" hopes for the long-term prospects of the treated area. Microbial ecologist Terry Hazan believes that the nutrients added to the environment, which was naturally low in nutrients, sped up the degradation of oil but also "upset the ecological balance of the system." He predicts, "the severe environmental damage resulting from the spill is expected to persist for decades to come."

Articles and resources

External articles

• Caution Required for Gulf Oil Spill Clean-Up, Bioremediation Expert Says, Science Daily, May 4, 2010.
• Jerry Cope and Charles Hambleton, "The Crime of the Century: What BP and the US Government Don't Want You to Know, Part I", Huffington Post, August 4, 2010.
• Gotta Laff, "VIDEO- Crime of the Century: What BP & the Government Don’t Want You to Know", Political Carnival, August 6, 2010.
• Ben Gemen, "House Dem questions EPA dispersant defense", The Hill, August 6, 2010.

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