Majority Of Tar Balls Found In Texas Unrelated To BP Oil Spill

July 11th, 2010 - 7:14 pm ICT by GD  

By Gina Gomez
tar1July 11, (THAINDIAN NEWS) Majority of the tar balls that washed up on the shores of Texas cannot be traced back to the oil spill in gulf of Mexico, coastal officials in Texas have revealed after laboratory tests were conducted. However, a small amount of the tar balls which were discovered along beaches in the Galveston County are indeed associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, officials have stated.

Nancy Brown, a spokesperson of Texas-based U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have revealed to the media that the results of the laboratory tests is all over the board as some of the results point out that the tar balls are from BP spill while others hint otherwise. Coast guard officials have divulged that rather than the ocean currents, the multiple boats and barges which were used in cleaning up the massive oil spill might have been instrumental in carrying the oil to Texas. Oil was first seen along the coast of Texas in July 3 when tar balls were spotted along Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula. Coast Guard spokesperson Richard Brahm told news sources on Friday that only the tar balls which were found near Port Arther’s McFaddin Beach had been linked with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. However, the coast guard official also stated that most of tar balls did not originate from the BP oil spill.

While many experts have reiterated that Hurricane Alex might have played a role in accelerating the arrival of the oil in Texas, Hans Graber, a marine physicist associated with the University of Miami added that it was only a matter of time before the oil could be found in Texas.

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