Photo: Surfline
Nasty tarballs litter the shoreline of the Gulf.

The mayhem in the Gulf of Mexico continues. Just viewing any of the mainstream media reports is proof enough of that. A question for surfers, though, is how much danger is present in actually paddling around in a plume of petroleum goo.

While the answer might seem obvious Surfline got the thoughts of environmentalist Brand Shuler, who examined the chemicals present in the oily gulf waters to shed some line on this growing oil slick catastrophe.

GULF OIL SPILL: TOXIC REPORT

Environmentalist Brandon Shuler examines the chemicals that threaten surfers in the Gulf

By: Brandon Shuler

Mad Max had his Thunder Dome; Gulf Coast surfers have our BP. All post-apocalyptic images aside, imagine paddling out and having to duck dive something not too unlike the primordial soup our ancestors crawled out of.

This noxious, rainbow-sheened amalgam of oil and toxic chemicals is the Gulf we all love, but are quickly destroying. And even though Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle may still have clear waters, the damage is done and free-floating unseen dangers await.

One must consider themselves half a shade toward insane if they can look out at that big beautiful Gulf and decide to hit the "last" dawn patrol of the 2010 season.

Government officials have not closed waters for swimming, surfing, or diving...yet. But with literally tons of Corexit dumped from government planes, a chemical banned in the UK because of its proven toxicity to human and marine life, a morning dawn patrol for the next six to eight months may not be in our futures.

Photo: Surfline
Independent scientists have confirmed that the
ambient air content of Benzene in the Venice,
Louisiana area is now.9 parts Benzene to 1000 parts
air -- .1 is considered lethal by the EPA.

Independent scientists have confirmed the ambient air content of Benzene in the Venice, Louisiana area is now .9 parts Benzene to 1000 parts air --.1 is considered lethal by the EPA. So not only by sneaking a dawn patrol are you subjecting yourself to an industrial-strength scrubbing to get the toxic mix of tar balls and dispersive off your skin, but you're threatening yourself with a vaporous toxin proven carcinogenic -- that means it can cause cancer, folks.

The use of Corexit and the evidence of Benzene in the atmosphere highlights the unseen danger the BP oil spill threatens the Gulf with. We have irreparably damaged the Gulf for this summer and possibly for years to come. The extent to how long the Gulf will remain toxic is yet to be seen.

Till now all efforts to stem the flow of the leak have failed. Today BP and engineers plan to inject a 6-inch siphon hose into the 31-inch pipe currently spewing an estimated 210,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf per day.

Captain Jon Brett of Fishbuzz.tv says, "It's like throwing a hotdog down a hallway."

For the full story visit Surfline.com