This may be a stupid question, but I wonder what will happen (if anything) when the chemicals that were disbursed are swept up and come down as rain elsewhere? How toxic is it? If it breaks up oil, will harm automobile tires that roll through it? Will it harm roofing materials? I know it will be in diluted form, but how much would it take to create damage?
According to NALCO Corexit 9527 HAS been used in the spill and we have no way of knowing how much was used. NALCO has been slick in their wording...they refer to Corexit dispersant(S(plural)) being used.... claiming that 9500 is the only product they’ve been ‘making’/’manufacturing’ for use... while failing to mention use of existing 9527!....maybe they should have scrubbed this from their website:
“COREXIT 9500 is the sole product we have been making for Gulf responders since the spill began. Limited quantities of COREXIT 9527 may have been drawn from existing dispersant stockpiles from around the world. COREXIT 9500 does not include the ingredient 2-butoxy ethanol, an ingredient in COREXIT 9527.
Both COREXIT dispersants have been approved by the EPA as part of the National Contingency Plan for treating oil spills.”
http://www.nalco.com/news-and-events/4297.htm
2-Butoxy Ethanol Risk Evaluation
Glycol alkyl ethers are commonly used as solvents. 2-Butoxy Ethanol is one of the most toxic of the glycol ethers.
You should use products containing butoxyethanol with extreme care. It is a poison that can easily absorb through your skin to harm you. When working with it, always wear gloves and goggles and be sure the you have enough ventilation.
HAZARD SUMMARY [1]
# 2-Butoxy Ethanol can affect you when breathed in and by passing through your skin.
# Exposure can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat. Higher exposures may cause you to become dizzy, lightheaded, and to pass out.
# Contact can burn the eyes.
# High or repeated exposure can break down red blood cells, and cause anemia. It can also damage the liver and kidneys.
# Breathing the vapor can irritate the lungs and cause a build-up of fluid (pulmonary edema). This can cause death.
Acute Health Effects
The following acute (short-term) health effects may occur immediately or shortly after exposure to 2-Butoxy Ethanol:
# High exposures may cause you to become dizzy, lightheaded, and to pass out.
# 2-Butoxy Ethanol can break down red blood cells. This can cause a low blood count (anemia). It may also damage the liver and kidneys.
# Breathing Ethanol can break down red blood cells. This can cause a low blood count (anemia). It may also damage the liver and kidneys.
# The liquid can cause eye burns and may cause temporary blurred vision. It may also irritate the skin, causing a rash or burning feeling on contact.
# Exposure to the vapor can irritate the eyes, nose, mouth, and throat.
Chronic Health Effects
The following chronic (long-term) health effects can occur at some time after exposure to 2-Butoxy Ethanol and can last for months or years:
Cancer Hazard - According to the information presently available to the New Jersey Department of Health, 2-Butoxy Ethanol has not been tested for its ability to cause cancer in animals.
Reproductive Hazard - According to the information presently available to the New Jersey Department of Health, 2-Butoxy Ethanol has not been tested for its ability to adversely affect reproduction.
Other Long-Term Effects - Long-term exposure can cause the breakdown of red blood cells, resulting in anemia. 2-Butoxy Ethanol may damage the liver and kidneys. Very irritating substances may affect the lungs. It is not known whether 2-Butoxy Ethanol causes lung damage.
http://www.westp2net.org/janitorial/tools/butoxy.htm
The Corexit is eating through the hulls of boats and I know that for a FACT.
Not a stupid question. With millions off gallons of dispersant being used, what happens when it gets picked up in a hurricane or tropical storm and brought far inland? What sort of effects will it have in our brooks and streams and rivers and water tables? What happens as it is dumped on all our farmlands and forests? How is this going to effect our food chain?
I’ve been reading some very nasty predictions but want to see more scientifically-based research for uninvolved sources.
And what is the plan if these relief wells don’t work?