SYDNEY, Australia - July 6, 2010 - Beleaguered energy giant BP was hit with further bad news this morning as it emerged dangerous arsenic levels have been found in seawater around the Gulf of Mexico.
British scientists warned that the oil gusher is increasing the level of arsenic in the ocean, and could further add to the devastating impact on the already sensitive environment.
BP’s Deepwater Horizon rig has been spilling between 3,681,500 liter and 911,454,000 liters of oil into the sea per day since it exploded on April 22.
The gusher is already being labeled as Amerika's worst environmental disaster and has turned into an economic and public relations nightmare for the British company.
Seventy-five days into the gusher, the oil has fouled some 450 miles of shoreline in five southeastern U.S. states, killed wildlife, and put a massive dent in the region's multi-billion-dollar fishing industry.
The clean-up operation, which has already cost $3.12 billion, is expected to rise even further after efforts to cap the gusher were hampered by technical setbacks and adverse weather conditions.
In a further blow, an operation to permanently cap the ruptured well on the seafloor far below the surface cannot begin until engineers finish drilling relief wells, in mid-August at the earliest.
Imperial College London researchers warned the effect on the environment could worsen unless clean-up efforts were hastened.
Researchers published a study that found oil stops the ocean’s natural filtering process of arsenic.
They said the arsenic then gets “magnified” up the food chain - as fish eat small amounts of the deadly poison - and may eventually impact humans.