Hair Boom Effort Cut Short

The Coast Guard and BP will not use hair boom in the fight to keep oil from coming ashore.

BP says after evaluating the alternative method, hair boom was deemed not feasible

“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,” said Charlie Henry, NOAA’s Scientific Support Coordinator. "One problem with the hair boom is that it became water-logged and sank within a short period of time."

Commercial sorbent boom is readily available and scientifically designed and tested for oil containment and absorption on the water. Response teams are familiar with and properly trained to safely deploy, maintain, recover, and dispose of commercial sorbent boom.

BP and the Coast Guard are asking individuals and organizations to stop collecting hair boom. But they want everyone to continue sending suggestions for alternate cleanup solutions.