GAO calls for more research on oil dispersants

Further research is needed on the impacts of using dispersants to clean up oil spills, as British Petroleum did after the massive 2010 Deepwater Horizon leak in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the congressional Government Accountability Office (GAO).

A GAO report released on 29 June concluded that researchers face resource, scientific, and communication challenges related to dispersant research. It pointed to warnings from agency officials, experts, and specialists that “inconsistent and limited levels of funding” pose a challenge to developing research on the use and effects of chemical dispersants.