EPA informs BP to use less toxic chemicals to break up oil spill

The Environmental Protection Agency informed BP officials late Wednesday that the company has 24 hours to choose a less toxic form of chemical dispersants to break up its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, according to government sources familiar with the decision, and must apply the new form of dispersants within 72 hours of submitting the list of alternatives.

The move is significant, because it suggests federal officials are now concerned that the unprecedented use of chemical dispersants could pose a significant threat to the Gulf of Mexico's marine life. BP has been using two forms of dispersants, Corexit 9500A and Corexit 9527A, and so far has applied 600,000 gallons on the surface and 55,000 underwater.

"Dispersants have never been used in this volume before," said an administration official spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision hasn't been formally announced. "This is a large amount of dispersants being used, larger amounts than have ever been used, on a pipe that continues to leak oil and that BP is still trying to cap."

www.washingtonpost.com...

This applies to both surface and underwater spraying of these chemicals.
They are just blindly spraying this stuff into the Gulf. These chemicals have never been used before in this huge quantity.
Multiple multiple questions have come up about the safety of using them. It's hard to say at this point though whether the oil, the methane or the chemicals are going to do the most damage there....

[edit on 20-5-2010 by webpirate]

You don't need any chemicals for the solution, just a #load of HAY will do! Either that or just close the damn hole already. The solution is so simple, BP or another agency preplanned this and it makes me sick to my stomach. Listen, solutions to any man made problem are common and simple, its them who choose to go with simplicity or intentional inconvenient to us but convenient to them, fixes.