title: The use of chemical dispersants to combat oil spills at sea: A review of practice and research needs in Europe.
abstract: In order to better understand the practice of dispersant use, a review has been undertaken of marine oil spills over a 10 year period (1995-2005), looking in particular at variations between different regions and oil-types. This viewpoint presents and analyses the review data and examines a range of dispersant use policies. The paper also discusses the need for a reasoned approach to dispersant use and introduces past cases and studies to highlight lessons learned over the past ten years, focussing on dispersant effectiveness and monitoring; toxicity and environmental effects; the use of dispersants in low salinity waters; response planning and future research needs.
authors.affiliation: International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation (ITOPF), London EC1Y 1HQ, UK. helenchapman@itopf.com
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Purnell
authors.forename: Robin J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Mark F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Kirby
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D004190:Disasters; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005060:Europe; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D008386:Marine Biology; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010578:Petroleum / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D013997:Time Factors; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical