Oil spills can boost levels of arsenic in seawater by suppressing a natural filter mechanism on the sea bed, according to a study published on Friday in a specialist journal. The research was conducted in a laboratory before the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, but its authors say the findings highlight the worrying long-term impact from such disasters. Scientists at Imperial College London found that sea floor sediment bonds with arsenic.

Study fins oil spills boost levels of arsenic in the ocean. (2010, July 9 - 10). BusinessWorld, p. S3/8.