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    Dispersants Before Deepwater – Interview with Airport Director

    HOUMA, LA -- Houma is home to the airport that BP uses for sending out aircraft that spray dispersants on top of the water. After the gusher in the Gulf BP used dispersant at the well-head down near the sea floor in a place they named the Macondo Prospect. You might think spraying dispersants that are toxic chemicals would be something not done before the deepwater disaster. In fact “spilling oil” is a very common thing here in Louisiana and dispersants are used frequently to mix the oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Mixing crude oil into the seawater has the effect of making it pretty much invisible. Here in Houma the airport has a contractor who has three aircraft that are used regularly to spray dispersants into the Gulf. Two of the dispersants widely reported to be used are called COREXIT 9500 and COREXIT 9527. After some prodding the formulae for COREXIT was made public and is now on the EPA web site. But all the ingredients are not listed. Some of the most important ingredients from a health standpoint are just listed generically, like secret herbs and spices. And they kind of are since they are sprayed on seafood all the tim