Gulf Spill Raises long-term Beach Safety Questions

It could be years before some Gulf of Mexico beaches recover fully from BP Plc's massive oil spill and are declared free of toxic pollutants, including heavy metals, that can make people sick, a leading environmental advocacy group said on Wednesday.

"This is an unprecedented tragedy and environmental disaster in the Gulf that is raising unprecedented questions about how to manage beaches and other parts of the environment," said David Beckman, Water Program director with the Washington-based Natural Resources Defense Council.

"We've never had to confront before the question of whether the toxicity in a wave wash is such that people should stay out of the water," Beckman told reporters on a conference call.

He spoke as the non-profit group issued its 20th annual report on water quality at U.S. beaches.

The "Testing the Waters" report covered 2009 but included a special section on the impact of BP's Gulf oil gusher from the blown-out Macondo well off the coast of Louisiana.

Even before the Gulf disaster, Louisiana had the dirtiest beaches in the United States, the NRDC report said.

That might give pause to lovers of Louisiana's renowned seafood, since the water quality at the state's beaches often violated national health standards due to high-levels of human and animal waste.

Now, however, even Gulf Shores Beach in Alabama, which the NRDC gave its top five-star rating last year as one of the most pristine beaches in America, has been closed repeatedly because of the public health threat posed by oil fouling its shore.

LONG-TERM RISK

Across the Gulf region, because of direct impacts from the spill, there have been nearly 10 times as many beach closing and public health advisories posted this year than there were posted last year due to pathogens or bacteria or any other reason, Beckman said.

"As the oil continues to move, if more washes ashore, these numbers could change dramatically. It's very difficult to predict whether this is the tip of the iceberg in terms of closures and advisories. But it is, I think, safe to say that the numbers will continue to rise at least in the foreseeable future," he said.

"The oil is difficult to get out of sand and even when it's out of the water, it's going to be in the sediment, in the near-shore environment, and it's going to be on the beach until it is completely cleaned up," Beckman said.

"It poses risk long term until it is addressed," he added.

He said while the disaster was still unfolding, it was very difficult to predict with any certainty how long the impacts of oil on beaches could last. "But they're certainly likely to last for many months and perhaps for years," Beckman said.

In its report, the NRDC said oil contained a mixture of heavy metals including mercury, arsenic and lead together with various hydrocarbons with health effects that can include long-term reproductive or neurological damage and even cancer.

"It's important for beach-goers to be aware that just because you can't see oil in a sheen, on the ocean surface, it doesn't mean that the beach is necessarily free of oil." said Beckman.

(Editing by Pascal Fletcher)