Additional Research Needed, Particularly on Subsurface and Arctic Applications
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report on oil dispersants. It found that progress has been made regarding dispersants, but that additional research is necessary, particularly on subsurface and Arctic applications. It also recommends that interagency coordination be improved.
On April 20, 2010, an explosion and fire onboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico led to the largest oil spill in U.S. history, releasing approximately 206 million gallons of oil into the Gulf over a period of nearly 3 months. When an oil spill occurs in coastal waters of the United States, responders have several options for managing the environmental impacts of the spill, including the use of chemical dispersants. Dispersants do not reduce the total amount of oil entering the environment;
rather, they help break down oil into small droplets that can more easily mix into the water below the surface, increasing biodegradation rates and potentially decreasing the impact of spilled oil on the shoreline. However, because chemical dispersants promote the movement of oil below the surface, their use exposes the underwater environment and the ocean floor to more of the spilled oil, where it may also have harmful effects.
Therefore, decisions about whether to use dispersants involve trade-offs between the risks that untreated oil poses to the water surface and shoreline habitats and the risks that chemically dispersed oil poses to underwater environments, as well as the feasibility and limitations of alternative response options.
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Source: GAO
