A scientists with the University of South Florida Coastal Research Lab just recently took a gander at the Walton County beaches using a UV light and has commented they are “still contaminated” following the BP oil spill fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico.
A graduate student, Rip kirby, took a high-powered UV light over one length of the beach, and the light showed bits and areas all over the place of what he calls “accumulation of petroleum product and dispersant.” He issued a public apology for not getting around to taking the samples at an earlier date.
“This beach is just as contaminated as the rest, I’m sorry,” Kirby commenting, he added, “I took the local government officials’ word that these beaches were not impacted and stopped my testing in Destin.”
Joe Preston, the driector of Walton County Emergency Operations, saw fit to not return any of a multitude of calls from the papers. Cecilia Jones and Scott Brannon, Walton County Commissioners, also did not see fit to return calls. The Sheriff’s Office, surprise surprise, was also not attending to any questions on the matter.
Kirby, who dwells in the Fort Walton Beach area, and his team of colleagues from the USF have been digging deeper into the effects the spill has had on the local environment, and their findings were published in National Geographic this past July. However, the beaches were worse for wear, and Kirby stopped investigation because the officials said everything was fine..
So, who is trying to cover up for who here? What sort of scandal awaits? Only time will tell.. That is, if people see fit to answer their phones…