FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: August 19, 2010

American Chemical Society symposium on Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Aug 24

The American Chemical Society (ACS) will hold a special day-long symposium on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Tuesday, Aug. 24, during its National Meeting & Exposition here. The symposium, which includes almost a dozen experts, will examine topics ranging from the spill’s effects on marine life to its effects on the safety of seafood. It will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 210C of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, followed by an open-discussion session from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

There’s ongoing concern about many facets of the oil spill, including its impact on marine life and the environment and the effects of the chemical dispersants used to break up the oil spill, noted symposium co-organizer John Finley, Ph.D., also of LSU. He noted that some people are particularly concerned about the potential impact of the oil spill on the safety of seafood coming from the Gulf of Mexico.

Please note that presentations in the symposium are embargoed until Tuesday, Aug. 24, 8 a.m., Eastern Time.

Scheduled presenters in the oil spill symposium and their topics include: Ed Overton, Ph.D., Louisiana State University, Chemistry of Spilled Oil, Erik Cordes, Ph.D., Temple University, Deep-water Communities of the Gulf of Mexico: Preliminary Findings on the Impact of the Mississippi Canyon 252 Incident, Jeffrey Short, Ph.D., Oceana, Intensively Studied Oil Spills: The Exxon Valdez and the BP Blowout, and Trevor Penning, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - Health and Food Chain Concerns.

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