BP spill 'having effect on US air quality'

The BP oil spill has had a negative effect on the air quality of US cities, a report has shown.

Scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released details of their research into the air quality of states close to the Gulf of Mexico explosion that occurred on April 20th.

They revealed that 15 to 17 kilometres downwind from the location of the spill, there were concentrations of chemicals in the air that were much higher than should be expected in urban areas.

A R Ravishankara, director of the Chemical Services Division of NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory, said: "Data from the NOAA flights are providing an important detailed and independent set of air quality data to assess air quality risks of workers at sea and the public ashore."

Earlier this week, BP confirmed that more than 823,809 barrels of oil had been skimmed from the surface of the water and 265,238 barrels had been burned in controlled fires, which is also adding to the air pollution of the surrounding areas.

Posted by Joseph Hutton