Volunteers Ready Despite Fed/BP Rejection Of Grassroots-Made Booms Filled w/ Pet-Groomer Donated Animal Fur & Hair-Salon Donated Human Hair to Help Soak Up Gulf Coast Oil Pollution; Long Beach/Seal Beach LaunderPet Assists Volunteers; See Comparison Video & Growing Slick From Space
(May 30, 2010) -- Despite rejection of their efforts by corporate and federal authorities, volunteers from a San Francisco-based non-profit group have traveled to the Gulf Coast and are standing-by with grassroots-devised, handmade absorbent booms filled with animal fur (donated by pet groomers) and human hair (from hair salons) to help soak up oil now headed for land.
As previously reported by LBReport.com, the volunteer effort has the support of LaunderPet, which operates pet grooming/pet supply outlets in Long Beach (Belmont Pets & LaunderPet, 3429 E. Broadway; Bixby Knolls LaunderPet, 4102 Orange Ave) and Seal Beach (318 Main St.). It has collected animal fur to assist www.matteroftrust.org and www.excessaccess.com whose volunteers have stuffed animal fur/human hair sent by pet groomers/hair salons across the country into nylon stockings that are doubled-up and tied together.
File photo source: www.matteroftrust.org
Members of MatterofTrust.org recently uploaded a YouTube video offering a grassroots side-by-side comparison of a hair/fur boom vs. a commercial boom. To view the group's video, click here.
On May 21 (as previously reported by LBReport.com), the event's Unified Command (comprised of BP representatives and multiple government agencies) issued a statement (in full below) turning aside the volunteer efforts:
The Unified Area Command for the Deepwater Horizon/BP Response announces it will not use hair boom in its response efforts.
While this suggestion was submitted to BP as an alternative method for containing and recovering the oil spill, it was not deemed feasible after a technical evaluation.
In a February 2010 side-by-side field test conducted during an oil spill in Texas, commercial sorbent boom absorbed more oil and much less water than hair boom, making it the better operational choice.
"Our priority when cleaning up an oil spill is to find the most efficient and expedient way to remove the oil from the affected area while causing no additional damage. One problem with the hair boom is that it became water-logged and sank within a short period of time," said Charlie Henry, NOAA’s Scientific Support Coordinator in Robert, La.
Commercial sorbent boom is readily available and scientifically designed and tested for oil containment and absorption on the water. Additionally, response teams are familiar with and properly trained to safely deploy, maintain, recover, and dispose commercial sorbent boom.
Individuals and organizations are asked to discontinue the collection of hair for the hair boom.
We appreciate the overwhelming response from the American and Canadian people who want to help in the response to this spill. Please continue to send suggestions for alternate cleanup solutions. All proposals are reviewed by technical experts for their feasibility and proof of application. Among those recommendations submitted was the successful subsea dispersion process that is now helping break up oil before it reaches the surface...
LaunderPet owner Hatch responded at the time:
"Clearly, the right thing to do is to divert pet fur from landfills and use it in the massive gulf oil spill cleanup effort. We are hopeful and confident that the volunteers at Excess Access and Matter of Trust will soon convince BP and the federal government that the donated hair and fur booms can be used successfully to soak up oil in the gulf. Our three LaunderPet stores are happy to participate in this grassroots effort to assist in the cleanup."
On May 29, officials acknowledged that a BP attempted "top kill" procedure failed to plug a rupture (following an explosion, fire and collapse) of a federally-permitted undersea oil drilling platform; for over a month, crude oil has been spewing into Gulf Coast waters in the worst oil spill in U.S. history.
The results are now visible from space (photo via NASA).
NASA photo, May 25
NOAA has begun issuing forecasts of the trajectory of the oil pollution.
NOAA forecast
LBReport.com is continuing to stay on top of this story. Further as we learn it on LBReport.com.
