Question

how is oil being misused?

Answer 1

Explanation:

Environmental assessment teams increasingly may be using a method to assess oil spill contamination in situations where it doesn’t work well and are in danger of reaching false conclusions, a scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has warned

In a letter published online April 30 in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, marine chemist Christopher Reddy issued what he called “a cautionary tale” about using the “pom-pom” method as a universal practice for assessing oil contamination in ocean- or river-bottom sediments. The method uses long strands of absorbent polypropylene swabs, which look like cheerleaders’ pom-poms, dragged along bottom sediments. The method is in demand because it offers a rapid, low-cost way to locate large areas where oil has sunk to the sediments. But that doesn’t mean it can effectively identify lesser amounts of oil that can have harmful impacts on ecosystems and public health, Reddy said.