Re: To burn it?

[Leigh Palmer <palmer@SFU.CA>]

> There was an oil spill from a sunk tanker 8 days ago, about
> 100 miles west from the coast of France. It will probably hit
> the shore today or tomorrow. Is it possible to ignite a floating
> oil spot? A clearly visible spot of size about 150 m was shown
> on TV last night. What else can chemists do to minimize the
> environmental impact?

The answer is that chemists can do a negligible amount of
amelioration compared to what Nature can do. There is a constant
oil spill in progress off the southern California coast. That's
why there are oil wells near land in the surf there. Nature
cleans up very efficiently and entirely passively after the
active amelioration efforts of man have ended. A 150 m oil spot
is an ephemeral insult to the environment, and a welcome meal
for some hungry microbes.

Leigh