“Nightmare scenario it is. I must confess that, from time to time, I cannot help but wonder if we are looking at an era ender. I know I am crazy for thinking this, and I know that ecosystems can and do rebound, but what if everything fails, what if the oil field is much larger than anyone even knew, and what if this volcano gushes for the next 100 years...or more?”
Yup. They are already telling people in Florida who have COPD to stay away from the shoreline because of the stench of the oil. And workers need breathing masks and talk about the incredible stench. Wait till the really humid time of summer starts and people have to breathe a cocktail of oil and corexit. Even people who don`t have COPD will quickly get it. I can easily envision a mass evacuation of the gulf states as the water becomes too toxic to drink and the air becomes too toxic to breathe. And the southern winds will push that toxic air more and more northward.
I am about 35 miles north of Navarre Beach which is the east end of Santa Rosa Island. I have wondered at least a few times if such a stench will reach me. If I have to move in light of such an event, I will definitely file suit against BP.