Oil Gone Easy to the rescue in Gulf Oil Spill
The Gulf oil spill has won hands down as being the largest oil disaster that has ever happened. With gallons of crude oil being belched into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deep Water Horizon, this oil spill has already created an irrevocable harm to the environment.
To add to the woes, an assortment of chemical dispersants, oil skimmers, and booms are being deployed by the cleanup crews for Oil Spill Containment. The use of such oil spill cleanup procedures is giving sleepless nights to many. Several people, such as Donald M. Baltz, chairman of the oceanography and coastal sciences department at Louisiana State University, fear that these oil spill cleanup methods could end up doing more harm than the spill itself.
But BP still remains unfazed and is keen on using the toxic dispersants, booms, and skimmers. The dispersant that BP is apparently using is the hazardous kerosene-based Corexit 9500, which the EPA recommends to used only at the depth of 75 meters or more. Also Corexit 9500 does not completely absorb the oil slick but only makes them invisible, which is even more harmful in the longer run.
Also, BP seems to have no clue as to how to deal with oil that washes ashore. They are still depending on booms to do the task. They are also ready to ignore the fact that the spill is spill is 600 miles long and growing and they have only 100 miles of boom available.
Though there is a safe and effective alternative available to contain the oil spill, BP is not willing to use it in spite of recommendations from the State of Louisiana. The product recommended is Oil Gone Easy S-200, an agglomerator and bioremediation accelerator, which is effective on both shallow water and land.
The best part about is that unlike other dispersants that are kerosene based, Oil Gone Easy S-200 is nitrogen phosphorous based that promotes the growth of bacteria, which in turn breaks the oil into carbon dioxide and water. Oil Gone Easy S-200 has also been used in the oil spill cleanup of the Exxon Valdez and the Prestige Tanker Oil Spill.
Taking all this into account, it would not be wrong to say that Oil Gone Easy S-200 is the only eco-friendly way to remediate oil from the Gulf of Mexico.
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Do you know the effects of the Corexit, to clean the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?
Toxicity and alternatives
According to the Alaska Community Action on Toxics, the use of Corexit during the Exxon Valdez oil spill caused “respiratory, nervous system, liver, kidney and blood disorders” in people.[7] According to the EPA, Corexit is more toxic than dispersants made by several competitors and less effective in handling southern Louisiana crude.[11] However, the oil from Deepwater Horizon is not believed to be typical Louisiana crude.
Alternative dispersants which are approved by the EPA are listed on the National Contingency Plan Product Schedule[12] and rated for their toxicity and effectiveness.[13]
Yes, I do.
However, note that it’s not being used to “clean” the spill; it’s being used to move the oil away from the surface–and the cameras.
Corexit 9580 Dispersant Use in the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Cleanup 1989