"The first round of government tests of the chemical dispersants that are being used to break up the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico found they aren't overly damaging to shrimp and small fish, but more tests are needed to determine what happens when they're mixed with oil.

The Environmental Protection Agency also said Wednesday tests on eight chemical dispersants found they don't damage the body's glands and hormones in ways that can harm development or reproductive, immune and neurological systems.

The EPA also said BP had reduced the amount of chemical dispersants it was using by almost as much as the government ordered it to do in May. The EPA and the Coast Guard on May 26 told BP to reduce dispersant use by 75 percent from peak use. BP reduced it by 68 percent over the next month."

Renee Schoof reports for McClatchy Newspapers June 30, 2010. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"EPA’s Initial Testing Finds Dispersants Roughly Equal, But Raises Questions" (ProPublica) [3]

"The E.P.A. on Dispersants: Cure Is Not Worse Than the Disease" (New York Times) [4]