Nalco Welcomes Scientific Findings About Dispersants Issued by Coastal Response Research Center
June 04 2010 - 7:00PM
A Federally-funded scientific panel has found dispersants
environmentally helpful in minimizing the amount of oil from the
Deepwater Horizon spill reaching national shorelines.
"We are pleased that the scientific review meeting convened at
the request of NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration) by the Coastal Response Research Center recognized
the role of dispersants in mitigating the environmental disaster
occurring in the Gulf of Mexico," said Dr. Mani Ramesh, Chief
Technology Officer of Nalco (NYSE:NLC). "Oil is the issue here and
we are glad that the valuable role of dispersants in battling this
environmental catastrophe is being recognized by this important
committee."
In its report, the panel said: "It is the consensus of this
group that up to this point, use of the dispersants and the effects
of dispersing oil into the water column has generally been less
environmentally harmful than allowing the oil to migrate on the
surface into sensitive wetlands and near shore coastal
habitats."
The committee also said that the dispersants have been effective
in minimizing the effects of the gulf spill and should continue to
be used. "The use of chemical dispersants is needed to augment
other response options because of a combination of factors for the
[Deepwater Horizon] incident (i.e., continuous, large volume
release)."
The panel, which included scientists from NOAA, the
Environmental Protection Agency, Environment Canada, the United
States Coast Guard and several universities, reported that using
the chemical dispersants "enhances the natural dispersion process
(e.g., the smaller droplet size enhances potential biodegradation).
Dispersing the oil also reduces the amount of waste generated from
mechanical containment and recovery, as well as shoreline
cleanup."
Another advantage of using dispersants, the panel said is that
it "reduces the threat distance, protects
shorelines, likely increases the biodegradation rate of the oil,
inhibits formation of emulsions, reduces waste management, and
potentially reduces buildup of VOCs [volatile organic compounds] in
the air."
About Nalco
Nalco is the world's leading water treatment and process
improvement company, delivering significant environmental, social
and economic performance benefits to our customers. We help our
customers reduce energy, water and other natural resource
consumption, enhance air quality, minimize environmental releases
and improve productivity and end products while boosting the bottom
line. Together our comprehensive solutions contribute to the
sustainable development of customer operations. Nalco is a member
of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. More than 11,500 Nalco
employees operate in 150 countries supported by a comprehensive
network of manufacturing facilities, sales offices and research
centers to serve a broad range of end markets. In 2009, Nalco
achieved sales of more than $3.7 billion. For more information
visit www.nalco.com.
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CONTACT: Nalco
Media Contact:
Charlie Pajor
630 305 1556
cpajor@nalco.com
Investor Contact:
Mike Bushman
630 305 1025
mbushman@nalco.com
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