bechtelCBD

Center for Biological Diversity. "Dispersants." //Gulf Disaster: End Offshore Drilling Now//. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .  **  Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials? ** The Center for Biological Diversity is a nonprofit environmental group of over 200,000 members and activists, known for working to protect endangered species through legal action and scientific petitions. The group started in 1989 and since has produced hundreds of scientific documents related to environmental protection; including Endangered Earth, yearly updates, endangered species analyses, and more.  **  What is the main topic or argument of the text? ** The main purpose of this text is to introduce what dispersants are, how they have been used, and how they affect the environment. The argument that is made is that dispersants pose a hazard to the environment and BP’s use of them should be stopped. **  Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out. ** The main topic of this article can be fleshed out by reading the headings in the document. More information can be gathered by reading the information following these headings and more specific details about the effects of dispersants to different organisms can be found under the sub-headings. **  What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? ** “More dispersant was used on the BP spill than in any other oil spill in U.S. history. Moreover, for the first time ever, the EPA approved using dispersants not only at the surface but deep underwater at the source of the spill. Approximately 1.84 million gallons of dispersant were applied, with more than 1 million gallons on the surface and 771,000 gallons pumped deep into the water column to dilute the oil.” “In the 1990s, Nalco formed a joint venture company with Exxon Chemical Company and has board members and executives that have previously worked for Exxon and BP.” “According to the Minerals Management Service, dispersant components absorbed by sea turtles can affect their organs and interfere with digestion, excretion, and respiration.”  The most useful evidence that I found from this piece was information about how much dispersant had been used on the spill. These numbers are certainly not exact, but seem fairly accurate based on what I could find. There were a few other details of the effects that could be of use in my project, but I found several places where the information used was out of date. The document primarily talks about the effects of Corexit 9527, which is no longer in production and has been replaced by Corexit 9500. This site also did not always list the sources of its information. ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> List at least two details or references from the text that will be useful to other members of your research group. **  This resource specifically addresses the effects of Corexit 9527 on wildlife and human health, but may not be so helpful with the newer dispersant.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Full citation. **
 * Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus. **