The Oil Slick in the Gulf of Mexico is now roughly the size of Puerto Rico. Oil is rushing to the surface at the rate of 800,000 litres per day.
The cause of the spill is known and understood and attempts are being made to stem the flow of oil.
What is not so well understood are the implications of the clean up operation. More than 250,000 gallons of industrial chemical have been pumped into the sea to disperse the oil. Known side effects of these chemicals include:
1. Anaemia
2. Auto immune diseases
3. Kidney damage
4. Removal of oxygen from aquatic environments
There is a lot of noise, but nobody fully understands the full ramifications of the clean up.
Treating the symptoms can be every bit as bad as dealing with the cause.
That holds true for more than oil slicks.
Photo by Kaitlin Duffey on Unsplash
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