I know a lot of people, like me, have been wondering what exactly the dispersant is which BP is using on the oil spill. I just got this info. on what it might be:
BP has been injecting the Corexit 9500 dispersant into the blowout at
depth. This apparently creates a better mix with the oil as it rises.
We are learning that the chemical was tested by the EPA and proven to
be less effective and more toxic than other available dispersant.
Corexit's manufacturer Nalco is stepping up production to supply more
to BP.
Nalco does share a few board members with BP.
Here is the MSDS data on Corexit 9500:
Corexit_EC9500A_MSDS.539287
And here are some pertinent links as provided by an AZ peep:
http://investing.businessweek.
http://investing.businessweek.
http://www.valdezlink.com/
http://www.epa.gov/oem/
6 comments:
Good footage.
One note: it's Macondo, not Maconda.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macondo_Prospect
Also, the large, square semisubmersible was either the Development Driller II or III (their twin vessels and are drilling the relief wells). They're twin vessels, so unless you caught the name on the derrick there's no way to tell which is which.
Thank you. You are awesome.
wired reports there is a better, non-toxic alternative to Corexit. its called Dispersit:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/05/gulf-dispersants/
I understand that an answer which seems intuitive can be completely wrong but I still have a hard time grasping how adding such a quantity of toxic material into a vast amount of toxic adulterant can improve conditions in the water.
http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2010/chem_dispersants_work_at_cost
There are many companies, even one in Gulfport, that produce biodegradable dispersants. Gulfport’s Sludge Solutions International has been providing their dispersants for oil-based spills in the Caribbean for years. But BP will not touch them.
Corexit is manufactured by Nalco of Naperville, Illinois, and its board is packed with several retired BP and Exxon executives. With that in mind, there simply isn’t enough money to be made off of biodegradable solvents that actually devour the oil, a source close to Nalco told Bellona Web. Corexit creates sludge, and hence sweetheart trucking deals to haul it off.
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