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US EPA orders BP to use less toxic dispersant
(5/21/2010 - OGI: Houston) The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has instructed BP to find and use a less toxic dispersant on the oil slick and oil plume emerging from the Macondo blowout in the US Gulf of Mexico.
The EPA said today that BP has selected an alternative dispersant and is to commence using it by Sunday. To date, it has sprayed approximately 600,000 gallons of the Corexit 9500 chemical mix on the surface oil slick and another 55,000 gallons on the plume on the seafloor, which is thought could actually make the oil in the water more harmful to marine life.
"EPA wants to ensure BP is using the least-toxic product authorized for use," the agency said in a statement. "We reserve the right to discontinue the use of this dispersant method if any negative impacts on the environment outweigh the benefits."
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