Louisiana Environment and Flood Control
A plane sprays dispersant across an oil slick from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. (NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune archive)
By Tristan Baurick, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
The dispersant chemicals used to clean up oil spills have the unintended effect of transforming crude oil into a toxic mist able to travel for miles and penetrate deep into human lungs, new research has found.
A study by Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore indicates that the dispersants used during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and other large spills breaks down oil into particles so small that they can easily take to the air. Just agitate the oil-dispersant mixture with a bit of wind, some waves – even raindrops – and the ultrafine particles go airborne, researchers said.
“Once in the air they don’t come down easily, and they can travel quite far,” said Nima Afshar-Mohajer, an environmental health researcher with Johns Hopkins and the study’s lead author. “Depending on wind directions, they can easily travel 50 miles away.”
If inhaled, the compounds – some of which can cause cancer – are drawn to the innermost parts of the lungs where they are quickly absorbed into the body.
Fire boats spray water on the blazing remnants of BP’s Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig in 2010. An April 20, 2010 explosion at the offshore platform killed 11 men, and the subsequent leak released an estimated 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. (NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune archive)
“The dispersant continues to disperse the crude oil in the lungs, and that helps the crude oil absorb into the cells,” said Afshar-Mohajer, whose research was published in the journal Atmospheric Environment last month.
BP, who used dispersants after the 2010 disaster, did not respond to requests for comment on the study. In the past, BP has said the use of dispersants was approved by federal environmental agencies and the Coast Guard.
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig was 41 miles from Louisiana’s coast when it spewed 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf. BP used two types of dispersant to break up the oil: Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527, both manufactured by Nalco Environmental Solutions. About 770,000 gallons of dispersant were injected directly into the damaged wellhead about a mile under water. BP sprayed another 1 million gallons on the massive slick on the water’s surface. Thousands of cleanup workers, Coast Guard members and coastal residents could have been within the potential range of airborne oil particles.
Oil on the water’s surface at the site of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster on Tuesday, May 18, 2010. (NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune archive)
The Johns Hopkins study didn’t investigate the toxicity of dispersants, only how dispersants amplify the spread of oil’s toxic compounds. Corexit’s ingredients are a trade secret, making testing difficult, Afshar-Mohajer said.
Many Gulf coast residents and Deepwater Horizon cleanup workers say they suffered a wide range of illnesses after exposure to dispersants. Recent studies from the National Institutes of Health and the Uniformed Services University, a Maryland health sciences and medical school run by the federal government, have also indicated a link between dispersants and health problems. The NIH reported last year that many cleanup workers exposed to dispersants suffered nausea, vomiting, rashes and lung irritation. The USU’s research found that the nearly 2,000 Coast Guard members who reported being exposed to dispersants suffered similar illnesses at rates higher than members who were not exposed to the chemicals or were exposed to oil alone.
“Those dispersants were the worst thing ever used,” said Trisha Springstead, a registered nurse in Florida who advocates for people harmed by the Deepwater Horizon spill.
Oil dispersant is pumped from tanks into a plane by workers at a hanger in Houma on May 5, 2010. The dispersant was used to break up the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
BP has not commented directly on the results of those health studies.
Other studies have also indicated dispersants are toxic to wildlife, including fish, crabs and deep-sea coral. Research presented last month showed that dispersants hamper the growth of oil-eating bacteria, thereby weakening nature’s ability to clean up after a spill.
Afshar-Mohajar conducted his research with laboratory wave tanks filled with saltwater. Various wave types were simulated with Louisiana crude oil and Corexit dispersants on the water’s surface. Aerosol sensors measured and identified air particles inside the tank.
When dispersants were added, the concentration of airborne oil particles increased 10 to 100 times, Afshar-Mohajar found.
He noted that airborne particles are different from the gases released by oil, which are also toxic.
Crew members from U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harry Claiborne operate an oil skimmer collecting oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010. (U.S. Navy photo)
Dispersants are designed to work much like dish soap on grease. They loosen the tension between oil and water, allowing the oil to break up into smaller droplets.
“The surface of seawater becomes softer,” Afshar-Mohajar said. “And wind, breaking waves and raindrops can make the particles leave the surface.”
Where and how far these particles go is determined by a range of environmental factors, including wind speed and direction, air temperature and humidity.
“This cloud of ultrafine droplets act as carrier of the oily compounds with toxic properties and can travel long distances and penetrate deeper into the human respiratory system,” he said.
A boat uses a boom to contain oil near Grand Isle on June 2, 2010. The oil was part of a massive slick from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. (NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune archive)
Airborne oil particles may pose danger to human health and the environment, but dispersants are a better cleanup option than burning the oil, Afshar-Mohajar said. About 10 million gallons of oil was rounded up and burned during the Deepwater Horizon disaster, according to a federal damage assessment. The by-products included soot particles that polluted the air and unburned residue that sank to the seafloor.
Afshar-Mohajar recommended that future dispersant use should consider wave and wind conditions, and the locations of populated areas.
“There are pros and cons with dispersants,” he said. “But when it’s used they should know where it may go and make sure it’s not going toward shore or the communities there.”
Workers pump oil dispersant into a plane workers at a hanger in Houma on May 5, 2010. The dispersant was sprayed on oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon spill. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
Gulf Leak Watch 
We are all educated in dispersants being toxic what we need is these groups and organizations standing up to our government saying we want something done about it. No everyone is too busy!
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