BP Oil Spill
Posted: Sat Jun 05, 2010 1:54 pm
As one of the worst growing environmental disasters continues to foul the Gulf of Mexico and now shorelines of American states, is anybody else as mindboggled as I am? The slow response rate, the many many shortcuts in safety and testing that were taken by BP oil which caused it, the use of dispersant chemicals which are at least twice as toxic as the oil itself....It's absolutely insane. Despite all the estimates in damage and the impact on the environment, no one really knows what's going to happen from all this....
A few points to ponder:
Nalco, the ONLY company making and supplying "Corexit 9500', the toxic dispersant agent used to disperse and break down the oil, has several longstanding ties to the oil industry, INCLUDING BP OIL!! So a subsidiary of big oil is the company supplying a toxic dispersant agent to these big oil companies and making a killing on this disaster. Furthermore this chemical has ~never~ been used this way, in the water at the source of the oil spill. It's deadly to sea life, and in strong enough doses very harmful to humans (think liver and kidney damage, harmful to the respiratory system and our best friend CANCER!) The hazard sheet concerning this stuff even states that you "should not contaminate surface water with this product". Of course, BP says it's the best thing they have to deal with the spill, while other scientists seem to differ on alternate products but most agree their IS safer alternatives. They've used over 500,000 gallons of this crap to date, and plan to continue using it even though the environmental protection agency has demanded they stop.....Basically the effects of this chemical are NOT known, it's never been used in water and the company supplying it has deep ties to big oil....
BP continues to try and minimize the potential threats and throw out incredibly low ball numbers, Tony Hayward, CEO of BP is a useless twat and is in way over his head. It's been proven that this company took so many shortcuts around safety protocols and testing that a disaster like this was only a matter of time....Surviving rig workers are coming forward now and there are enough recorded communications to verify their stories that things like this were going on.....
To date, over 46,000,000, yes 46 million gallons of oil have polluted the waters in the Gulf of Mexico.....The most recent attempt by BP, over a month and a half later, is only succeeding in stopping 10% of the flow....Now, instead of almost 800,000 gallons a day gushing from the well, there's only 680,000 or so....Way to go, BP, looks like you've really fixed the problem! Now, the company is going to drill a "relief well" where they'll drill down next to the well in an attempt to hit a seven inch in diameter pipe, from the surface, and fill it with drilling mud to cement it closed. BP states this solution will only take a month and a half. No other company has ever done something like this in that amount of time, and those companies didn't have to drill that deep. Many critics think it will take several months, and many, many attempts. There's at least 10 million barrels of oil in the oil reserve tank which, at current rates, wouldn't stop for three years! So, no real end in sight, and there's already tar washing up on the shores of Louisiana and Florida, and more reports are coming in every day.
What does everyone think? Blame BP for the shortcuts they took? Blame the federal government for such a shitty response? Blame ourselves, the consumers, for our capitalist lifestyles and reliance on all the convenience products Oil gives us, not to mention the obvious use in our cars, our unnecessarily large cars?
A few points to ponder:
Nalco, the ONLY company making and supplying "Corexit 9500', the toxic dispersant agent used to disperse and break down the oil, has several longstanding ties to the oil industry, INCLUDING BP OIL!! So a subsidiary of big oil is the company supplying a toxic dispersant agent to these big oil companies and making a killing on this disaster. Furthermore this chemical has ~never~ been used this way, in the water at the source of the oil spill. It's deadly to sea life, and in strong enough doses very harmful to humans (think liver and kidney damage, harmful to the respiratory system and our best friend CANCER!) The hazard sheet concerning this stuff even states that you "should not contaminate surface water with this product". Of course, BP says it's the best thing they have to deal with the spill, while other scientists seem to differ on alternate products but most agree their IS safer alternatives. They've used over 500,000 gallons of this crap to date, and plan to continue using it even though the environmental protection agency has demanded they stop.....Basically the effects of this chemical are NOT known, it's never been used in water and the company supplying it has deep ties to big oil....
BP continues to try and minimize the potential threats and throw out incredibly low ball numbers, Tony Hayward, CEO of BP is a useless twat and is in way over his head. It's been proven that this company took so many shortcuts around safety protocols and testing that a disaster like this was only a matter of time....Surviving rig workers are coming forward now and there are enough recorded communications to verify their stories that things like this were going on.....
To date, over 46,000,000, yes 46 million gallons of oil have polluted the waters in the Gulf of Mexico.....The most recent attempt by BP, over a month and a half later, is only succeeding in stopping 10% of the flow....Now, instead of almost 800,000 gallons a day gushing from the well, there's only 680,000 or so....Way to go, BP, looks like you've really fixed the problem! Now, the company is going to drill a "relief well" where they'll drill down next to the well in an attempt to hit a seven inch in diameter pipe, from the surface, and fill it with drilling mud to cement it closed. BP states this solution will only take a month and a half. No other company has ever done something like this in that amount of time, and those companies didn't have to drill that deep. Many critics think it will take several months, and many, many attempts. There's at least 10 million barrels of oil in the oil reserve tank which, at current rates, wouldn't stop for three years! So, no real end in sight, and there's already tar washing up on the shores of Louisiana and Florida, and more reports are coming in every day.
What does everyone think? Blame BP for the shortcuts they took? Blame the federal government for such a shitty response? Blame ourselves, the consumers, for our capitalist lifestyles and reliance on all the convenience products Oil gives us, not to mention the obvious use in our cars, our unnecessarily large cars?