Corexit More Toxic To Gulf Corals Than Oil, Study Finds - Thanks, BP!!

The chemical dispersant used to break down the oil spilled in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico is more toxic to coral than the oil, according to a study released on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the disaster.

The accident marked the first time that a dispersant was used below the ocean surface during an oil spill in addition to the traditional surface use. Almost 2 million gallons of the dispersant Corexit 9500A -- with slightly less than half released underwater -- was used to emulsify the around 5 million barrels of crude oil that poured out due to the rig explosion.

When exposed to the chemical dispersant, three species of cold-water coral showed "more severe health declines" at lower concentrations than the same species exposed to a mixture of oil and dispersant and to just oil, according to findings by scientists from Temple University and Pennsylvania State University. The oil-dispersant mixture was also more toxic than just oil, the team found.

Its study was published online in the journal Deep-Sea Research II.

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http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060016566