Date Posted: 2010-07-02
OIL SPILL KILL ZONES
It's impossible not to avoid the live video broadcast of the coal-gray oil gushing from BP's well in the Gulf of Mexico. According to an Associated Press Poll 88% of the public have viewed it.
The problem hasn't has been fixed and scientists now say vast amounts of natural gas are escaping from the blown well and present a serious threat to marine life by creating dead zones where oxygen is so depleted that nothing lives.
The methane danger has been largely overlooked, with early efforts to monitor the oil spill focusing on the more toxic components. But scientists are increasingly worried about the gas that can suffocate sea creatures in high concentrations.
At least 22 nations - including Britain where BP is based - have offered oil-collecting skimmers, booms and technical experts to help the U.S. cope with its worst-ever environmental disaster.
