I do not whether or not toxic rain from the oil spill is a legitimate threat. However, I'm becoming very worried based on information I've been reading.
Here is what we know.
In addition to the release of oil, the spill is releasing the following gasses
benzene
methane
hydrogen sulfide
We know that BP used the very toxic dispersant, Corexit.
What has been alleged:
The EU Times published an article claiming that the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources had created a report stating that the Eastern US coast would be destroyed by toxic rains composed of the corexit and gasses.
http://www.eutimes.net/2010/05/toxic-oil-spill-rains-warned-could-destroy-north-america/
I have good search skills and I cannot find a version of this report. However, it is possible the report was not published on the Internet. However, I cannot verify the truth or falsity of this information.
The scientific community is very quiet. This is strange.
Bloomberg has a report dated june 22 (hat tip Washington's Blog) that states:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-22/health-data-gaps-bp-suspicions-worry-u-s-panelists.html
"Scientists also are seeing 'large gaps in the data' on the health impact of the spill, said Paul Lioy, vice chairman of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Piscataway, New Jersey."
Washington's Blog details some of the known health concerns: "Health Risks from Oil Spill":
http://www.georgewashington2.blogspot.com/
However, I cannot seem to find any follow up or verification of concerns about the toxic rain.
I did find a news clip from Mississippi about crop damage. If this were traced to the spill I assume it would be from some of the gasses entering the precipitation cycle.
http://www.wreg.com/news/wreg-mystery-crop-damage,0,187535.story
I would like to find some "scientific" discussion of this possibility and I would love to find a link to the purported Russian report.
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Well, that was cheery. On top of an economic disaster, we're facing an environmental catastrophe. About the best we can hope is having the disasters offset. Maybe millions of jobs will be created cleaning-up the damage the oil spill created.
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