Scientists suspicious of oil disappearance

The Miami Herald reports: Many scientists say they’re skeptical of a widely publicized government report Wednesday that concludes much of the oil that gushed from BP’s leaking well is gone and poses little threat to the Gulf of Mexico.

Ronald Kendall, the director of the Institute of Environmental and Human Health at Texas Tech: “It’s an estimate and I’d like to say that even if it’s true, there are still 50 to 60 million gallons that are still out there. It’s too early to draw the conclusion that the coast is clear, but there are species there that will tell us.”

Marine conservationist Rick Steiner, a retired University of Alaska scientist: “Let’s look at this another way: that there’s some 50 percent of the oil left. It’s still there in the environment.”

James H. Cowan, Jr., a professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences at Louisiana State University:”There is a lot of uncertainty in these figures.”

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