Study: Toxic chemicals prevalent after BP spill

Summary: Today researchers found that deep down in the ocean there are toxic chemicals that are still left over from the BP spill. The levels in some areas are high enough to kill aquatic creatures. Back in May there was research conducted and the oil was found as far as 8 miles away and since then there has been even more oil released and that's what concerned the researchers so much. The thing that the researchers are most concerned about now are chemicals call polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs. These awful chemicals can kill animals instantly if high enough concentration, or if low concentration it can cause cancer over a period of time. At first the biggest concern about the PAHs were how toxic they were but now months after the spill the PAHs are still there so the concern now is how long do these toxins last in water? It has also been found that the chemicals are as far away as 13km away and still are very high concentrated. One study that was conducted found that at certain places the PAHs are 40% higher than they were before the spill. One thing that has not happened yet is that the chemicals have not gotten into fish, shrimp or crab from the Gulf of Mexico.

Opinion: I can't believe that more terrible things are being found from this awful oil spill! I feel that BP should take more responsibility and I know they are helping with clean up but I feel that this chemical should be a major thing to focus on and try to get rid of. All of the animals in the Gulf play a huge role in our economy. We may not necessarily eat them or use them all specifically but every animal is part of the food chain and in order for us to live and have a successful economy we need many things from the Gulf of Mexico. I really hope that researchers are able to find a way to get rid of the PAHs. I know that it will be a difficult task because there is so much of it and it is so far out and deep in the ocean. But I feel that if researchers and the company really got after it they could make progress. Also I think that more studies need to be done on the PAHs to see how to get rid of it and answer many unanswered question people have.