Deepwater Horizon Oil Slicks Created Air Pollution In Addition To Contaminating Land And Sea
A research article in a recent issue of the journal Science sets out the results of an investigation into the atmospheric effects of the environmental tragedy that followed the catastrophic destruction of the BP Deepwater Horizon in April of last year. The study examined measurements taken by a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-led team, which conducted two flights downwind of the Deepwater Horizon spill areas in June 2010 using one of the agency's "hurricane hunter" aircraft.
Based on the data collected approximately two months after the oil rig’s destruction, researchers discerned two distinct plumes of airborne pollutants in the oil spill's aftermath. The first was predicted – a narrow, 1.8 mile-wide, downwind plume that consisted of light hydrocarbons. The second plume, researchers surmised, was formed from heavier compounds that took longer to evaporate. The secondary plume was bigger than expected at some 24 miles wide, and it contained higher concentrations of aerosol particles than was anticipated. Those results suggested that the heavier, less volatile crude oil vapors reacted in the atmosphere in a way that contributed to the formation of additional aerosol particles, essentially enhancing the pollution effect.
It’s well-known that air pollution in urban areas similar to that detected in the second Deepwater Horizon oil slick plume can damage the heart and lungs. This raises the concern whether the airborne pollution in the Deepwater Horizon's aftermath could affect oil spill cleanup workers, who spent significant amounts of time on the water during oil slick cleanup efforts. Time will tell whether additional health effects surface among such maritime workers as yet another component of the sad legacy of the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe.
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