How Long Will it Take to Clean up the Oil from the BP Oil Spill?
Ever since the terrible BP oil spill took place in 2010, it has resulted in a lot of damage to wildlife, plant life and human beings. Some of the damage continues to this day, despite reports from the company that it has contained the spill. The amount of oil that spilled during the incident was huge, and it comes as no surprise that it had the impact that we can see today. However, one thing that the company can be appreciated for is the effort that they put in to clean up the mess, despite the spill being accidental an resulting in the deaths of 11 people. Environmentalists and researchers have been looking for ways to combat the damage done by the spill to the environment, but they have been met with limited success. People from all over the world are wondering about when the oil will be removed completely, and no wonder. The magnitude of the damage was so large, it truly is a cause of concern.
Although BP has sealed the oil well in September 2010, three months after the spill occurred, the oil that spread out into the water for the duration of 80-odd days took its toll, and since then, the company, along with the United States government, has undertaken many steps to remove the oil from the water. Several methods have been employed, like using dispersants, performing site burning, and using skimmers. Despite all this, it is hard to answer how long exactly will it take to clean up the oil from the BP oil spill, because of obvious reasons - the primary one being the amount of oil that spilled. The United States Coast Guard Admiral estimates the time to run into years, given the fact that even after 20 years, one can still find the oil from the Exxon Valdez spill.
Of course, technology has advanced greatly and we have many more powerful and efficient ways to control the oil spill than we had in those days, but the core question here is how exactly do we do it. This is because the oil has already spread over a very large area, and has affected animals, plants and human beings in significant magnitude. Over 120 miles of coastline has been affected, and although BP has collected almost 20 thousand barrels of oil per day from the spill during the removal process, the mess that it has created could take years to clean up. A major way to control the spill was using dispersants that are substances that act like detergents that break up the oil particles into smaller ones that can be consumed by microbes easily. This, and other ways to control the oil spill have resulted in limited success initially, but the company has claimed that the oil has been cleaned up. If you need to speam to a professional about issues you have had from the oil spill, contact a member of the BP Settlement fund to see if you can claim compensation.
Now while there is no visible oil at the surface water at least, oceanographers and other researchers' claim that one needs to go beneath the surface to know the actual impact. Oil at the bottom of the ocean can be quite hard to remove, according to the scientists. However, BP has done its best to stop the oil from reaching the shores and thus preventing further damage. All things considered, it could take years before the oil from the BP spill is really cleaned up.