New on AAAS: Three Years After Deepwater Horizon Disaster, How Toxic is the Gulf?

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, spilling approximately 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. By the time the well was capped 87 days later, the disaster had become the largest environmental oil crisis in U.S. history.In order to reduce the disaster's impact on inshore waters and beaches, at least 2 million gallons of chemical dispersants were sprayed on top of the oil. The strategy may have helped stem the tide of oil to coastal areas, but the toxicity of the dispersant-oil mixture is not well understood. The long-term effects of these chemicals on wildlife in offshore areas, where the spill occurred, are still unknown.John Pierce Wise Sr. is investigating the toxicological impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.  At this year's AAAS Annual Meeting, Wise will present his initial findings on the toxicity of the dispersants and oil still present in offshore Gulf waters. I talked to him about his work and what to expect from his talk - read the Q&A as a pdf or link.