Dispersants are being used in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response. Dispersants are not safe to humans or the environment. They contain various industrial solvents and workers must be protected from exposure. Dispersants are usually applied directly to the spilled oil by spraying from an airplane, helicopter, or vessel. During the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup in Alaska, some dispersants were manually sprayed by workers on oiled beaches. Although dispersants are manufactured by many companies and their ingredients may differ, most contain a detergent and a solvent. The solvent allows the detergent to be applied. The detergent helps to break up the oil on the water surface into very small drops. These tiny oil drops are then able to easily mix with the water and be diluted. Most dispersants contain petroleum distillates, a colorless liquid with a gasoline- or kerosene-like odor. They are composed of a mixture of paraffins (C5 to C13) that may contain a small amount of aromatic hydrocarbons. Exposure to can cause irritation to the eyes, skin, or respiratory tract. NIOSH also recommends preventing skin contact with oil mist. To prevent harmful respiratory and dermal health effects NIOSH recommends reducing worker exposures to petroleum distillates and similar cleaning agents in dispersants. For more details, go to the NIOSH website at www.cdc.gov . This was clipped from video produced by the Governors Office of the State of Alaska in 1989 and 1990. Video Rating: 5 / 5
In the Weekly Republican Address, Louisiana Sen. David Vitter discusses the tragic explosion and oil leak at the Deepwater Horizon rig off his state’s coast. Sen. Vitter reminds Americans, “As we continue to work toward a recovery solution, none of us should lose sight that there are families whove lost loved ones. That is the greatest tragedy something everyone in Washington should try a little harder to remember.” He also laments the politics swirling around this disaster: “I guess its typical of the culture in Washington for politicians to believe that they can solve an ongoing crisis with statements and testimonies in Congressional committee rooms. But the time for committee hearings is for after the well has been capped not before. Folks closer to the scene understand that. We want 100 percent of the attention of all parties focused on our two most immediate problems: stopping the gushing oil, and protecting our coastlines and marshes from the oil.” Sen. Vitter says, “Some in Washington have tried to seize on this real human tragedy in the Gulf to advocate for a radical new energy agenda. That only cheapens the loss of those whove lost loved ones and brushes aside the ongoing, unsolved problem to spring forward with an emotionally-charged political agenda. Thats wrong and, frankly, an example of bankrupt leadership. Both Republicans and Democrats say they want to decrease our foreign dependence on oil, but ending all domestic energy production offshore would only … Video Rating: 4 / 5
Even With a Cleanup, Spilled Oil Stays With Us
If past catastrophes are guides, the cleanup by BP workers will capture only a fraction of the spilled crude. Here is a look at how the oil disappears, and what remains. Read more on New York Times
La. to OSHA: Investigate oil spill cleanup safety
AP – Louisiana health and environmental officials are asking federal safety officials to make sure workers cleaning up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are being protected. Read more on Yahoo! Green
In this video posted by the Walton County (FL) Sheriff’s Department, Darryl Carpenter, Vice President of Florida-based CW Roberts Contracting and sub-contractor Otis Goodson, shows how hay, hay grass and straw can be used as a very effective environmentally correct oil spill cleanup solution. In a scene reminiscent of a primetime cooking show, the Carpenter and Goodson video shows how Coastal Bermuda and Bahia hay could be scattered over the surface of the ocean with hay blowers to absorb the oil. To start, the two men pour oil into two large pans of water, stir in the hay, add a little “wave action,” then skim off the oil-soaked hay. The audience watching the Walton County video included representatives from BP (British Petroleum), the Coast Guard and the Sheriff’s office. CW Roberts then asks BP and the Coast Guard for the chance to do a 10-acre live demonstration in Gulf waters. They were told that approval has to come from higher up, but can they say no to this environmentally correct oil spill cleanup solution, with just Hay and Straw? “We work along the whole Gulf of Mexico coastal area in Florida,” says CW Roberts president, Charles Roberts. “We have everything mobilized. We can have boats and equipment on the water in less than a half-day. We have been getting calls from all over, from people who want to supply the hay. We want to be given the chance to see if it works. If it works on 10-acres, then give us a bigger assignment.” CW Roberts, a 700-employee …
Gov’t to bill BP M for oil spill cleanup so far
Associated Press – June 3, 2010 3:05 PM ET WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says the federal government is sending BP a million bill Thursday for costs so far in its response to the Gulf… Read more on KSWO Lawton-Wichita Falls
Headstrong help for oil spill cleanup
PITTSFIELD — British Petroleum may be refusing to use hair booms to clean up its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but the president of the organization collecting locks from across the country is also refusing to relent. Read more on Berkshire Eagle
IFAI Provides Specialty Fabrics For Urgently Needed GOM Oil Cleanup
More than 60 members of the Industrial Fabrics Association International are preparing products for clean-up efforts in the Gulf of Mexico following the April 20 explosion of the BP-owned Deepwater Horizon oil rig Read more on OilandGasOnline
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