Source:  The Dirt

The TEDx conference on the Oil Spill in Washington, D.C. featured a full-day of world renowned speakers on oil science, conservation, and the future of energy. During the day’s discussions, one powerful statement seemed to come through: the decision to use oil dispersants, which are themselves highly toxic derivatives of oil, may have been misguided. While the dispersants helped break up some oil and may have prevented oil from slicking some wetland and other important coastal ecosystems, they are also creating a toxic ocean soup that can’t be separated into disparate parts. The oil, dispersants and sea in areas of the Gulf of Mexico are now like permanently mixed salad dressing. As a result, oil now can’t be manually scooped out, and the dispersants and oil mix will be absorbed into all nodes of the ocean ecosystems, creating catastrophic impacts for ocean wildlife.