SMRs and AMRs

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Not 'drill, baby, drill' but 'blow, baby, blow'

How the ultimate BP Gulf disaster could kill millions

by Brandon Herring
Helium

With the BP oil spill, also known as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history has become not only a fear but a reality.  With thousands (and possibly millions according to some scientists) of gallons of oil spilling in the gulf, there are certain environmental factors that is to be expected.  Of course, the oil itself is filling up the gulf, killing millions of sea life  that people living on the coast of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida are seeing every day.

The economic impact of this incident is something of a question.  Undoubtedly there will be hard hits to food and supply production, but even individuals taking this spill has a big deal miss some of the details that could make this more than just a simple environmental disaster.

While it is known that the gallons of oil spewing has yet to be controlled, there are certain chemicals mixed in with this gasoline that release toxin gases, finding a way to make it up into the air.  Many different gases from hydrogen sulfate to benzine are being released into the air at around 4000 times what it considered safe to human.

The biggest concern though right now, which hasn't hit mainstream news yet but has been being discussed by scientists since the incident, is the amount of methane gas that is being released.

Speaking in apocalyptic terms, methane gas is thought to have a hand in the largest extinction event in mankind.  While it is hard to say, almost impossible to say, that this methane coming up from the Gulf could cause a reaction on a global event, there are levels of methane being released that are considered lethal.

(Continued here.)

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