As a footnote to the ongoing saga of the giant petroleum disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, government officials and BP technicians seem to have different concepts regarding the chemicals being used to "disperse" the oil in the ocean. The government says they could be as environmentally destructive as the crude oil itself; BP says not, that they're only doing what's prescribed in existing protocols for oil spills, and that safer chemicals aren't available in the massive quantities needed.
I'm uncertain. I've read that the chemicals, called dispersal agents or dispersants, are really a lot like dishwashing detergent. If that's the case, I submit that it doesn't matter much whether we're using chemical A or chemical B. Although all parties seem to agree "dispersants" are a good thing, I'm still waiting for the article that would explain why.
From my (layman's) point of view, I wonder why it's good to break the goop into smaller and smaller particles. A video widely shown by all the media suggests that that's what's happening underwater. In your kitchen sink, dispersants may make sense -- they help the grease flow down the drain without clogging it. Where's the drain in the Gulf of Mexico? And if there isn't one, aren't small drops just harder to clean up than big globs?
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