And now — arsenic.
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is increasing the level of arsenic in the water, and the poison could reach humans as fish consume it and pass it up the food chain, British scientists reported yesterday.
Arsenic is often found in seawater, but is usually filtered out when it bonds with the seabed, they said.
“But oil spills stop the normal process because the oil combines with sediment and it leads to an accumulation of arsenic in the water over time,” said Professor Mark Sephton of Imperial College.
He said there was no way to accurately measure the amount of arsenic in the Gulf now because the underwater leak from the April 20 oil-rig explosion is still going on.
But, he said, “Our study is a timely reminder that oil spills could create a toxic ticking time bomb, which could threaten the fabric of the marine ecosystem in the future.”
The arsenic disclosure came amid these other developments in the 77-day-old Gulf saga:
* A Taiwanese super-skimmer named “A Whale” has been delayed in its mission to draw oil from the spill because of bad weather.
The ship can collect half a million barrels of contaminated water a day, but tests were delayed because of stiff winds and choppy seas.
* The bad weather hampering cleanup efforts is likely to last well into next week, the National Weather Service said. “This should remain fairly persistent through the next few days, and maybe get a little worse,” meteorologist Mike Efferson said.
* Tar balls found on a Galveston, Texas, beach were confirmed as the first evidence that gushing crude from the Deepwater Horizon rig’s well has reached all the Gulf states.
A Coast Guard official said it was possible the oil hitched a ride on a ship and was not carried naturally by currents, but there was no way to know for sure.
* BP said yesterday it has so far spent $3.12 billion on the response effort, including $147 million paid out in claims to those affected by the disaster.
* Major BP shareholders balked at reports that the oil giant needs a megabucks investor to help with the cleanup costs.
Britain’s Sunday Times said BP’s advisers were trying to drum up interest among rival oil groups and sovereign wealth funds to take a stake of between 5 percent and 10 percent in the company at a cost of up to $9.1 billion.