Dauphin Island Sea Lab director, Dr. George Crozier, downplays physical harm of oil and dispersants while arguing that environmental impacts could be more significant.
During his presentation, Crozier said one of the largest problems was dealing with the perceptions of environmental problems created by the media.
“The first thing that contributed to the problem was the media,” Crozier said. “They exaggerated because that’s what they do.”
The media’s impact on the overall issue could be felt longer than the ecological problems, he said, especially regarding seafood safety.
“How are we going to restore the image of the Gulf’s seafood?” he asked.
Human health concerns have also been overblown, he said.
Crozier said Federal Drug Administration testing has shown that dispersants are no more toxic than dishwashing liquid or some cosmetics, but he also said there are no definitive answers yet on impacts of dispersants on marshes, grass beds and oyster reefs. Both Crozier and Bob Shipp said the oil spill could have the greatest impacts on fish eggs and larvae.
September 1st, 2010 at 3:53 pm
How can we NOT KNOW so much (as Dr. Crozier admits) and yet have him telling us that the media exaggerated the impact on the water quality and the organic/biological life found there? Dr. Crozier doesn’t make any sense. No wonder people don’t trust the “authorities.”