Report concludes that nearly 80 percent of oil from Gulf spill remains

A report released August 16 by the Georgia Sea Grant and the University of Georgia concludes that up to 79 percent of the oil released into the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon well has not been recovered and remains a threat to the ecosystem.

The report, authored by five prominent marine scientists, strongly contradicts media reports that suggest that only 25 percent of the oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill remains.

“One major misconception is that oil that has dissolved into water is gone and, therefore, harmless,” said Charles Hopkinson, director of Georgia Sea Grant and professor of marine sciences in the University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “The oil is still out there, and it will likely take years to completely degrade. We are still far from a complete understanding of what its impacts are.”

Co-authors on the paper include Jay Brandes, associate professor, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography; Samantha Joye, professor of marine sciences, UGA; Richard Lee, professor emeritus, Skidaway; and Ming-yi Sun, professor of marine sciences UGA.

The group analyzed data from the Aug. 2 National Incident Command Report, which calculated an “oil budget” that was widely interpreted to suggest that only 25 percent of the oil from the spill remained.

Hopkinson notes that the reports arrive at different conclusions largely because the Sea Grant and UGA scientists estimate that the vast majority of the oil classified as dispersed, dissolved or residual is still present, whereas the NIC report has been interpreted to suggest that only the “residual” form of oil is still present.

Hopkinson said that his group also estimated how much of the oil could have evaporated, degraded or weathered as of the date of the report. Using a range of reasonable evaporation and degradation estimates, the group calculated that 70-79 percent of oil spilled into the Gulf still remains. The group showed that it was impossible for all the dissolved oil to have evaporated because only oil at the surface of the ocean can evaporate into the atmosphere and large plumes of oil are trapped in deep water.

Another difference is that the NIC report estimates that 4.9 million barrels of oil were released from the wellhead, while the Sea Grant report uses a figure of 4.1 million barrels since .8 million barrels were piped directly from the well to surface ships and, therefore, never entered Gulf waters.

On a positive note, the group noted that natural processes continue to transform, dilute, degrade and evaporate the oil. They add that circular current known as the Franklin Eddy is preventing the Loop Current from bringing oil-contaminated water from the Gulf to the Atlantic, which bodes well for the East Coast.

Joye said that both the NIC report and the Sea Grant report are best estimates and emphasizes the need for a sustained and coordinated research effort to better understand the impacts of what has become the world’s worst maritime oil spill. She warned that neither report accounted for hydrocarbon gasses such as methane in their oil budgets.

“That’s a gaping hole,” Joye said, “because hydrocarbon gasses are a huge portion of what was ejected from the well.”

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Cotton Is King: Dynamic Adsorbents, Inc. Develops Superior Cotton-Based Solution for Removing Oil from the Gulf of Mexico

/PRNewswire/ -- The British Petroleum (BP) oil spill controversy is raising eyebrows worldwide not only because of spewing an unprecedented volume of crude oil, but because proven technologies are being overlooked that can dramatically reduce the effects of the spill.

Dr. Mark Moskovitz, President and CTO of Dynamic Adsorbents, Inc. (DAI), has spent his career in separation technology and is outraged by the clean-up decisions.

"While our environment is being destroyed right before our eyes, the problem is being compounded by decisions to use inferior products and technologies to remediate the effects," Dr. Moskovitz said. "While BP may not be able to fully stop the flow of oil, it and the Federal Government have a responsibility to ensure that the best technologies are considered."

BP has recently sprayed almost one million gallons of Corexit Chemical dispersant into the ocean to dissipate the crude oil. Unfortunately, the toxic dispersant is causing adverse health effects to the people cleaning up the spill.

DAI's solution is alumina impregnated cotton.

"Cotton's absorbency power is woefully unrecognized and should be at the forefront of consideration for cleaning up this disaster," Dr. Moskovitz said.

The oil sorption capacity of many natural and man-made fibrous sorbents have been studied for years. Industry professionals are aware that natural sorbents such as milkweed, kapok, cotton and wool are far superior in their sorption capacity properties when compared to man-made sorbents.

"Natural sorbent capacities routinely exceed 30 grams of oil per gram of fiber," Dr. Moskovitz said. "Cotton is the superior choice out of all the natural sorbents due its sorption capacity exceeding 40 grams."

Dr. Mark Moskovitz and Hobbs Bonded Fibers, Inc. in Waco, TX, have co-developed a new generation of cotton materials impregnated with patent-protected alumina adsorbents. "Cotton, impregnated with activated alumina, should be used for absorbing the toxic chemicals and crude oil from the Gulf due to its ability to adsorb as much as 100 grams per gram of cotton, exceeding 2 1/2 times more than any other cotton-based products," according to Dr. Moskovitz.

Carey Hobbs, CEO of Hobbs Bonded Fibers, Inc., has spent his entire career in the textile industry and is at the forefront of its newest technologies. When Hobbs' superior cotton material is impregnated with DAI's customized activated alumina, the material will have the highest sorption capacity and will remove fumes and noxious airborne particulate materials through adsorption, addressing the problem of workers inhaling dangerous materials.

"The BP disaster is an example of an environmental disaster that we are ready to address now," Hobbs said. "We at Hobbs Bonded Fibers are thrilled to be working with Dr. Moskovitz and his scientific team. Dr. Moskovitz's expertise enhances the absorbency power of cotton, making this material the perfect tool for handling this catastrophe."

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Gulf Coast Poison Centers Respond to Oil Spill

/PRNewswire/ -- More than 100 people have called Gulf region poison centers since the Deepwater Horizon oil platform caught fire in the Gulf of Mexico April 20, either to receive information or to report side effects from the resulting oil spill.

Dr. Mark Ryan, managing director of the Louisiana Poison Center, said he expects to see that number rise as the oil continues to leak and spread.

"Louisiana is a particularly difficult area to clean because the marshes are grassy with muddy bottoms that have very low oxygen content," he said. "It's not conducive to breaking oil down. We may be dealing with this for decades."

As of June 2, Gulf region centers reported a total of 45 calls reporting a poison exposure related to the spill. An additional 64 callers have contacted their poison center to seek medical information about the spill.

The U.S. Coast Guard and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals are among the agencies urging those exposed to toxins related to the spill to call their local poison center for guidance, and the Louisiana center is working with the state's Center for Epidemiology and Environmental Toxicology to gauge the number of poison exposures related to the spill. "We are collaborating to obtain the most comprehensive picture of the exposures that are occurring," Ryan said.

In addition, the Gulf region poison centers are providing data to federal agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institutes of Health.

Poison centers provide information about calls to the American Association of Poison Control Centers National Poison Data System. When someone calls a poison center after being exposed to an oil spill-related poison, be it skin contact with oil, inhalation of fumes, or exposure to the dispersants used to treat the spill, staff at the centers enter a "tracking code" that links the call to the oil spill. This marks the first time one code has been used to track the varied exposures and medical outcomes stemming from a disaster with potentially wide-reaching consequences.

So far, the most common symptom reported to centers has been throat irritation, followed by headaches. Other callers have reported symptoms including nausea, chest pain, dizziness and coughs. Most calls so far have involved inhalation of fumes. Poison centers in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri and Mississippi have received calls about poison exposures related to the spill.

"Poison centers are perfectly poised to be a go-to health care resource during a disaster," said Jim Hirt, executive director of the American Association of Poison Control Centers. "There's a reason that state and federal health agencies are relying on information from Gulf region poison centers - these centers provide an invaluable public health service."

Poison centers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Their services are free and confidential. If you have a question about medical effects of the oil spill or any other poison exposure, call your local poison center at 1(800) 222-1222.

About the American Association of Poison Control Centers: The American Association of Poison Control Centers is a non-profit, national organization founded in 1958 that represents the poison control centers of the United States, the interests of poison prevention and the treatment of poisoning.

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