December 26, 2022
Chemical dispersion.. remained the method of choice
Chemical dispersion, the breaking up of the oil slick into small droplets with the help of so-called dispersants, remained the method of choice. The finely-divided oil sinks below the surface of the water and is then - at least according to the theory - broken down by microorganisms faster than the dense oil film on the surface of the water. Critics complain, however, that the constituents of the dispersants - e.g. petroleum-like solvents and salts of organic sulfonic acids, such as those used in synthetic cleaning agents - are sometimes more toxic than the crude oil components themselves, and that the dispersion makes the oil less visible. In fact, research vessels later located huge plumes of oil in deep areas of the Gulf of Mexico that had hardly been attacked by microorganisms.