NOAA researchers release study on emissions from BP/Deepwater Horizon controlled burns

"During the 2010 BP/Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill, an estimated one of every 20 barrels of spilled oil was deliberately burned off to reduce the size of surface oil slicks and minimize impacts of oil on sensitive shoreline ecosystems and marine life. In response to the spill, NOAA quickly redirected its WP-3D research aircraft to survey the atmosphere above the spill site in June. During a flight through one of the black plumes, scientists used sophisticated instrumentation on board, including NOAA's single-particle soot photometer, to characterize individual black carbon particles..."

NOAA — Deepwater Horizon: A Preliminary Bibliography of Published Research and Expert Commentary
"This bibliography attempts to list all of the published research and expert commentary that has resulted from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It includes peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, technical reports released by scientific agencies and institutions, and editorials published in peer-reviewed journals. The peer-reviewed publications and technical reports in this bibliography are sorted into three subject categories: natural, medical, and social sciences. Data sets, fact sheets, maps, and news items not published in peer-reviewed journals are outside the scope of this bibliography. Suggestions of articles not listed in this bibliography may be emailed to Chris Belter. This bibliography will be updated regularly as new articles and
reports are published..."

EPA Releases Reports on Dioxin Emitted During Deepwater Horizon BP Spill
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today released two peer reviewed reports concerning dioxins emitted during the controlled burns of oil during the Deepwater Horizon BP spill. Dioxins describe a group of hundreds of potentially cancer-causing chemicals that can be formed during combustion or burning. The reports found that while small amounts of dioxins were created by the burns, the levels that workers and residents would have been exposed to were below EPA’s levels of concern.

Controlled burning of oil on the surface of the ocean (also called in situ burning) was one method used by the Unified Command during the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill, to reduce the spread of oil and environmental impacts at the shoreline. A total of 411 controlled burn events occurred of which 410 could be quantified, resulting in the combustion of an estimated 222,000 to 313,000 barrels of oil (or 9.3 to 13.1 million gallons).

With support from the U.S. Coast Guard, EPA conducted sampling of emissions at the source of the controlled burns in the Gulf of Mexico to determine if dioxins were present. The sampling was conducted to identify potential dioxin exposures and determine the potential risks from inhalation to workers in the vicinity of the fires, risks from inhalation to the general population and risks to the general population from consuming fish caught in the area..."

The 2010 Oil Spill: Natural Resource Damage Assessment Under the Oil Pollution Act
"The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill leaked an estimated 4.1 million barrels of oil into the Gulf
of Mexico, damaging the waters, shores, and marshes, and the fish and wildlife that live there.
The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) establishes a process for assessing the damages to those natural
resources and assigning responsibility for restoration to the parties responsible. BP was named the responsible party for the spill. The Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) process
allows Trustees of affected states and the federal government (and Indian tribes and foreign
governments, if applicable) to determine the levels of harm and the appropriate remedies.

The types of damages that are recoverable include the cost of replacing or restoring the lost
resource, the lost value of those resources if or until they are recovered, and any costs incurred in assessing the harm. Claims by individuals or businesses are not allowed, as all injuries are to the resources managed by state, federal, tribal, or foreign governments. OPA allows recovery from
the responsible parties for harm resulting from response efforts, which in this case could include
in situ burning, use of dispersants, and vehicle traffic on shores and marshes. The $20 billion
escrow fund set up by BP in June 2010 is not for government NRDA claims, but it can be used to
reimburse individual losses of subsistence use of natural resources, primarily lost fishing
opportunities, which are covered by OPA..."

IncidentNews: DeepWater Horizon Incident
"A fire and explosion occurred at approximately 11:00 PM CDT, April 20, 2010 on the DEEPWATER HORIZON, a semisubmersible drilling platform, with more than 120 crew aboard. The DEEPWATER HORIZON is located some 50 miles SE of the Mississippi Delta and contained an estimated 700,000 gallons of #2 Fuel Oil or Marine Diesel Fuel."

Note: Documents are posted chronologically and early reports likely contain factual errors. These errors may be corrected in a later report."