By: Molly Cimikoski, LuxEco Editorial Assistant
Before the April explosion of the Deep Water Horizon, I could hardly get through a Dawn dish soap commercial without wanting to foster and clean an oil-stricken otter myself. Now, more than fifty days away from the accident, I’m only more sympathetic to the plight of animals, but I can’t help but keep in mind that as much as everyone loves a clean, healthy critter, humans have a tendency to look out for themselves first. The more I understand about the devastation, I’m left wondering: what about us? By no means am I suggesting the kind and eco-friendly faces of Dawn change their slogan to “Forget The Birds, Pay Attention to Me,” but it was only a matter of time before the humans remembered their egocentricities, and now that we have, we have a right to understand the repercussions.
With the constant stream of breaking headlines defaming everyone from environmentalists, to Obama and most appropriately BP, it’s hard for any American conscience to sleep easy, and with good reason. Regardless of who’s to blame, the biggest question we’re left with is: what does this mean for us? It seems that it’s all people can talk about, watching on as minimal progress is made to curb the flow, all the while knowing too well that to the south there are millions of gallons of crude oil overwhelming the Gulf of Mexico. As important as it is that someone pays for this crime against the environment, we have immediate health concerns upon us. Could Corexit (one of the known and non-EPA approved dispersants being used) become the next DDT? Will the fishing industry ever truly recover? What will this do to those whose livelihoods are Gulf dependent, particularly during a time of recession? And what about the FDA, how much should we trust them to correctly monitor the seafood being hauled in from the depths of the Gulf?
These are questions that have left gaping holes in the future of US health, in terms of both food safety and the reliability of BP to clean to the Gulf in a safe, productive manner. In upcoming days you can expect follow up articles that will hopefully provide some answers.
And to think, it only took a few million gallons of oil threatening US soil to get our focus off of the Middle East!
