Oil Dispersant Congressional Briefing: Chemistry in the Clean-Up: Oil Dispersants


AIChE and ACS co-sponsored a congressional briefing on the use of oil dispersants. The ACS Science and Congress Project has conducted 120 briefings since its inception in 1995 with the intention of providing neutral and credible information to policy makers in Washington.

The most recent briefing, titled "Chemistry in the Clean-Up: Oil Dispersants", took place on June 29, 2010, brought together a record 126 attendees, including 70 from Capitol Hill. This briefing's content, including videos, speakers' slides, and other resources, is now available on the ACS Website with links below.

The Honorary Host was The Senate Science & Technology Caucus including its co-chairs Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). Here is a summary of the briefing from ASC:

As part of the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil leak, chemical dispersants are being utilized on the ocean surface and, for the first time, underwater. Dispersants work like dishwashing detergent -- they break up oil into droplets, enabling it to mix more easily with the surrounding water. This presents a trade-off: Mitigating damage to the shoreline and surface means exposing the seafloor and water column to additional oil. This briefing brings together experts on the effects of dispersants to discuss how they work, the ongoing efforts in the Gulf, the toxicological and ecological trade-offs of their use, and the future of dispersant technologies.

Chemistry in the Clean-Up: Oil Dispersants: Briefing Speaker Details and Links

Videos for opening remarks all speakers can be seen here.

Thoughts? Comments?

Image source: ACS
Capitol Hill Image: [ecpark]
Related articles by Zemanta