5 years later: EPA Proposal Would Set New Limits on Toxic Oil-spill Dispersants Among the most important proposals from the EPA are: - Heightened requirements for testing ecological toxicity and efficacy of dispersants - Better safeguards for human health and disclosure of information about dispersants -Monitoring and reporting on the use and effects of dispersants -Periodic review and revision of oil-spill response plans to ensure environmental protection. Environmental groups sued the EPA and the U.S. Coast Guard in 2012 for authorizing toxic oil dispersants without ensuring these chemicals would not harm endangered species — including whales, sea turtles and salmon — or their habitats. “One of the most eye-opening lessons of the Deepwater Horizon disaster was just how reliant these spill-response plans were on the use of dispersants and how little we knew about them,” Sakashita said. “We’ve got to step back and fully understand what happens when we release these chemicals into our waters. Otherwise we’re just adding insult to injury during an oil spill.” biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2015/oil-spill-dispersants-01-13-2015.html
Posted on: Wed, 14 Jan 2015 01:23:00 +0000
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