It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
and lets remember Alex didn't exactly even get close to the spill area. and since the water currents and the wind currents was moving away from Alex there is very little chance that alex picked up anything being sprayed on the oil in the gulf. Even if there was a slim chance that Alex did pick up some airbourne compounds. by the time the moisture from alex reached lil ol Joplin MO a few hundred miles from the gulf spill. it wouldn't be dropping compounds it picked up in the gulf it would be dropping compounds it mixed with here closer to Joplin. any compounds it could have collected in the gulf was dropped in Mexico and Texas!
[edit on 5-7-2010 by Cloudsinthesky]
* Alkylated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Alkylated PAH). Trace level determinations of Alkylated PAHs will be performed. This analysis is typically performed using Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) operated in the Selective Ion Monitoring (SIM) mode. Samples are solvent extracted and subjected to cleanups via silica gel to remove interfering matrix components. The SIM mode is used to further improve selectivity, but also increases sensitivity. Typical reporting limits for aqueous samples are in the 10-20 nanograms per liter (ng/L) range, for sediment the 0.5-5 ng/g range, and for tissue the 0.5-5 ng/g range. The inclusion of alkylated homologs is critical to the forensic aspect of the determinations, which provides the connection to the source oil that was spilled. The ratios of the various PAHs with substituted low molecular weight alkyl groups provide unique chemical characteristics that relate to the source of the petroleum material.
* Petroleum Hydrocarbons (PHC). The PHC analysis, including alkane fraction analysis and forensic approaches, will typically be performed via solvent extraction followed by Gas Chromatography/Flame Ionization Detection (GC/FID). The determinations will generally require a more complex approach than a routine diesel and/or residual range determination because of the need for forensic evaluation of the results. The routine PHC chromatogram (i.e. DRO/RRO) provides a fingerprint useful in tracing the source. The simplified procedure will be beneficial during cleanup of more highly contaminated areas. Calibrations for determinations where pattern recognition and quantification are used will require source oil as standards. In addition, speciated hydrocarbon analyses (delineated via alkane markers) will help from a forensic standpoint. Certain other hydrocarbons serve as biomarkers (unique to the source of the oil). Biomarkers might include compounds such as pristine, phytane, retene, and hopane. Again, the presence and ratio of biomarkers will aid in the identification of the source of the oil.
* Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). For much of the testing, relatively routine determinations for benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX) will be used quite extensively. In addition, extended lists of VOCs will be necessary for in-depth forensic work. The additional lists might include various alkylated benzenes, branched alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, etc. In general, compounds in the C5 to C13 range are included in the parameter list.
* Dispersants. Thus far, the most widely used dispersants have been Corexit 9527 and Corexit 9500 (both trade names for commercially available dispersants). Several analytical approaches have been identified for the detection of these dispersants, but they are not selective to the specific active ingredient, which essentially eliminates the ability to trace the source of the material. General procedures exist for detection of anionic surfactants in aqueous samples, but do not assure the detectable compound(s) originated from a specific product such as Corexit 9500 or 9527. Thus, a selective procedure will be necessary to correctly identify the specific dispersant. Development of analytical procedures has commenced for selective and sensitive determinations using appropriate chemical separations followed by Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry/Mass Spectrometry (LC/MS/MS).
Originally posted by unityemissions
I'm in Texas. I noticed that the water tasted very . . . unnatural, kind of like having a little bit of soap in it a few days back. Yesterday I literally saw a thin layer of chemicals making swirly patterns in my cup giving off slightly translucent coloration. This is local tap water. It's not possible to be from my dishwasher. I reuse the same cup a dozen times at least before washing it out again. I'm very concerned about this, atm. I may end up purchasing bottled water in bulk soon enough. Does anyone know if the reverse osmosis process would filter out chemicals like correxit9500? My guess is yes, of course, but I'm not 100% on that.