BP Oil Dissaster is our Chernobyl

The commentaries have been slow to recognize the BP oil disaster for what it is by making early references to the Exxon Valdez oil spill or the damage done by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The devastation to wildlife, endangered species, and entire ecosystems in the Gulf are just the beginning. Basic laws of physics would suggest that the oil must spread over an ever widening area of the ocean, except for that which gets captured by obstacles like shorelines and marshes. Eventually there will be evidences of it landing all up and down the Atlantic coastline or its effects even further out. Beach workers in the clean up effort have observed how hot the oil is since it is capturing solar heat, which probably means there are disruptive temperature side effects throughout the ecosystem as well. A few people on the newscasts have speculated about decades-long dead-zones for animal life or the long term health care effects on those who continue to live in these coastal areas. Eventually, someone will recognize that clean water and systems that produce drinkable water from it are negatively impacted. Perhaps Chernobyl would seem by some to be an over-the-top analogy for the disaster we face, but I don't think so.