BP chemical dispersants pose risk to public health in Florida* August 22nd, 2010 8:53 pm EThttp://www.examiner.com/gulf-oil-spill-in-tampa-bay/bp-chemical-dispersants-pose-risk-to-public-health-florida Independent toxicologists have issued a warning that includes data of concern for Florida residents. While the FDA has recently claimed that the chemical dispersant BP used in the Gulf oil spill did not pose a risk to public health, the new study says it does. “Studies of other spills show that the toxic components of crude oil ‘bio-accumulate’ into the food chain and become highly toxic to marine reproduction and harmful when consumed by humans, even when dispersants are applied at the surface and the chemical toxins may be sufficiently diluted over time to pose only minimal risks, “ according to Gulf Oil Disaster Recovery. Residents in Tampa Florida are at risk. The report said, “It is important that the public be vigilant and educate itself to these risks, as further compounding this misinformation from FDA are published news reports which show the government trying to discount university studies about the toxicity of the Gulf water column and seafood, and denying the continued use of dispersant spraying off the coast of Florida.” The report added, “BP’s use of dispersants deep underwater in the Gulf, and on such a vast scale, represents the first time dispersants have been used in this manner. The greatly-reduced biodegradation in the DEEPWATER HORIZON case, resulting from lack of sunlight, extreme cold temperatures at 5000 feet, and other environmental factors significantly reduce the rate at which the dispersed crude components are degraded. The most potentially dangerous of the components in the Gulf’s toxic soup are ‘polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons’ (PAHs), dangerous cancer-causing chemicals which slowly break down after being ingested by marine life, persist in marine organisms and can be passed to both humans and other wildlife through consumption.“
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