BP Oil Spill: Caps, Health, and the New Face of BP

The official estimate of the amount of oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico has been raised to 35,000 to 60,000 barrels per day. Chances are, we will not know the actual amount until the spill has been contained.

  

  

Another recent report from BP has stated that, if all containment equipment was removed from the site, the pipe could be spilling up to 2.5 million gallons per day. That is 100,000 barrels per day, as opposed to BP’s initial estimate of 1,000 barrels per day. 

At this point, BP has spent over $2 billion dollars in response to the oil spill and has agreed to pay $20 billion in reparations to affected business. 

The Next Step

Within the next 7 to 10 days, BP will be taking the next step towards replacing the existing containment cap with a larger, more advanced version. The next move in this replacement process is to remove the existing cap, allowing the oil to flow freely until the new one is in place. 

The new containment cap will do more than just capture greater amounts of oil. It will be equipped with a sensor to allow a more accurate reading of the amount of oil leaking. Also, ships at the surface that will capture the oil will have the ability to detach themselves in case of a hurricane. 

Health Concerns

Debates over the resulting health concerns of the BP Oil Spill are surfacing more and more as evidence begins to mount. 

At this point, the immediate health concerns are not very serious. The symptoms people experience are generally mild and do not last for extended periods of time. 

The people working to clean up the spill seem the most at risk of health problems resulting from the oil. In Louisiana, 109 people have become sick due to the BP Oil Spill and 35 of them were cleanup crew workers. 

It is disturbing to know that trace vapors of Benzene, a cancer-causing ingredient of oil, have been discovered at the clean up sites. 

While the immediate health risks of the oil may be low, many scientists are concerned with its future impact. Health and Human Services has put aside $10 million to study the future health of the oil spill cleanup crews and locals in the damaged coastal states. 

A New Face for BP

It was only a matter of time.  

Tony Hayward will no longer be the man representing BP throughout the rest of the BP Oil Spill crisis. Instead, the American managing director of BP, Bob Dudley, will step in and take over the public face of the company during this crisis. 

BP says the change is taking place to allow Tony Hayward to focus on the company itself instead of the oil spill recovery effort, but most would disagree. 

This announcement arrives just days after Hayward’s latest public blunder. While workers continued to fight BP’s oil gushing onto US coastlines, BP CEO Tony Hayward attended a Yacht race in the UK. 

The three main assignments for Bob Dudley: Salvage the environment, distribute reparations, and repair BP’s tattered image. 

In Case You Missed It:  A (Farewell) Tribute to Tony Hayward

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