Maybe the Gulf spill isn't as bad as we thought

[River]

I'm calling total BS on the theory that the GOM is K ............... for one thing, the very microbes that 'eat' up the crude oil are at the bottom of the food chain, AND the hydrocarbons they consume go right up the food chain; right to your dinner table, and right into your kidneys & your liver .......... it's called Bioaccumulation <snip>

That's why I said we wouldn't know the full extent of the damage until long after I'm dead.

I sincerely hope this is less of a disaster than some feared, but having the oil "disappear", kill fewer animals NOW than expected, etc. is of little consolation to me.

Breast cancer, autism ad nauseum are on the rise, and no one knows why. Who knows where the residuals of all that evaporation (of both oil and dispersant), metabolism, and other chemical reactions are going to end up.

The "we're fine here, now, uh, how are you?" attitude reminds of Han Solo taking over the holding cell control room. He was still in some deep shit.

 

[Strikerfox]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AAa0gd7ClM]YouTube - BP Spills Coffee[/ame]

 

[Mike's_LP]

Well, I tried to have some hope in what seems to be an increasingly dismal world.

Geochem1st, you seem to be very knowledgeable about these things. May I ask what your background is in this field? This isn't a shot at you...

 

[geochem1st]

Well, I tried to have some hope in what seems to be an increasingly dismal world.

Geochem1st, you seem to be very knowledgeable about these things. May I ask what your background is in this field? This isn't a shot at you...

I've spent 4 years conducting oceanographic research with the Dept of Energy, another 8 years as a project manager doing environmental remediation jobs from 10,000 acre EPA Superfund Sites to small underground tank removals and everything in between - an additional 4 years with DoE and four years with private environmental consulting firms.

I have specialized in groundwater contamination and migration of various contaminants from radionuclides, VOC's, to pure product spills.

I left that field and now do IT Security.

 

[Mike's_LP]

Well, you're certainly qualified, pal. You've got the job!

 

[Agave_Blue]

I've spent 4 years conducting oceanographic research with the Dept of Energy, another 8 years as a project manager doing environmental remediation jobs from 10,000 acre EPA Superfund Sites to small underground tank removals and everything in between - an additional 4 years with DoE and four years with private environmental consulting firms.

I have specialized in groundwater contamination and migration of various contaminants from radionuclides, VOC's, to pure product spills.

I left that field and now do IT Security.

IOW - If you spill it and post about it on the internet, Geo can find you and clean it up.

 

[MineGoesTo11]

Maybe if we sit and wish real hard, all the oil will turn to gold.

 

[geochem1st]

Maybe if we sit and wish real hard, all the oil will turn to gold.

Black Gold.... Texas Tea....

 

[FrankieOliver]

It's bad.

 

[DRF]

You know what one of the worst outcomes of this spill is...people still don't care,not even me. Not a blip on the radar of oil consumption habits. See you at NASCAR mofo's!!!.

 

[geochem1st]

"Mr. Pitre is skeptical that anything will change, given the economic realities. The BP spill aside, much of the damage to the gulf has been gradual and piecemeal. And people still believe that the gulf is big enough to absorb it.

“You can fool people,” Mr. Pitre said. “But you can’t fool the fish.”


Gulf of Mexico Has Long Been Dumping Site
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/30/us/30gulf.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&src=me

 

[Lyrica]

Geo, everything I've heard about engineering in situations like polution, and spills of chemicals and everything, that "Dilution is the solution". Isn't that the motto? Unfortunately there is only so much dilution available before it starts affecting everything, and at some point supersaturation will occur. No?

 

[geochem1st]

Geo, everything I've heard about engineering in situations like polution, and spills of chemicals and everything, that "Dilution is the solution". Isn't that the motto? Unfortunately there is only so much dilution available before it starts affecting everything, and at some point supersaturation will occur. No?

Correct.