Dispersants: Dish Soap or Deadly Poison?

It is human nature to overlook the long-term effects of man’s impact on the environment. Though the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has finally been capped, after an excruciating period of five months, the remnants of the crisis still permeate our ocean. Over the course of five months, the once translucent blue waters of the Gulf have been transformed into a viscous mixture of petroleum and the remnants of harmed aquatic life. Because oil is less dense than water, it floats on top, forming a semi-opaque layer that acts as a death trap to any unfortunate marine life that comes in contact with the water. Oil itself eventually disperses, but the scale of the BP oil spill requires human intervention to reduce the negative effects it has on the delicate ecosystem. The resilience of the oil is precisely what drives people to look for short-term solutions to stop the situation from escalating.

The use of dispersants has long been controversial due to the unknown effects they may have on the environment. Dispersants act like dish soap: think of them working like your lemon-scented dish detergent you use to clean your dinner plates. They have properties to separate the oil into smaller droplets so that the cleaning process is easier. However, unlike dish soap, dispersants contain potentially hazardous chemicals. The effects of these chemicals are currently indefinite, though there have been reports of BP spill workers becoming ill due to exposure to dispersants. If there is notable harm, why aren’t dispersants being used in moderation? Scientists admit it was logical to use dispersants at first, but we should be trying to eliminate the reliance on something that could potentially cause greater harm in the future.

Tim Lindsey, a scientist working at the ISTC at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is one of the people who is researching an alternative to separating oil from water without the use of dispersants. He firmly believes that “one should not optimize only one component if an entire system is at stake.” Currently, Lindsey is testing out an oil skimmer and filter that would separate oil from water without the use of harmful chemicals. There are people all over the world like Lindsey trying to solve problems, but at the same time keeping in mind the long-term effects of their findings.