Oil spill gear cleaning?

[Trisha]

How exactly do I clean gear after swimming in the Gulf Coast oil spill?
No, this is not a joke.

No, I have no intention of doing it deliberately, but we will be heading down I-10 to Florida in a few weeks. If we did stop by Pensacola or another coastal area for a few dives, and we did have legitimate concerns, what would be the best way to clean and protect our valuable investments?
Which pieces of gear would be most at risk? Would the regulators or BCs need special servicing before storing them in the winter? Would the chemicals in the spill eat away at the neoprene or rubber? Would they permanently fog our dive computers or masks?

Look, folks, we have several thousands of dollors put into "life support systems," so I don't consider it silly to wonder about what I can do after the fact to keep the gear in top shape.
Normally I soak the gear in Sterlite lock boxes filled with plain, old water. Hang them up, dry them out, don't store them wet unless I want the odor of mildew. Simple.

Is this season any different?
Thanks for your help.

 

[Cave Diver]

Your best bet would be to avoid it altogether. If you see an oily slick on/in the water, stay out.

If you do accidentally get into some and oil soaks into your hoses, it could very well cause damage to them that you can't see, by weakening them. You may see some swelling but it may not be evident. You could use some of the dishwashing detergents used for cleaning wildlife to clean the gear with, such as Dawn. You might also try some of the handcleaners sold at local auto parts stores that can be added to the wash. These are the white cream ones like permatex or goop brands.

Prevention is the best cure!

 

[OldNSalty]

Also note that some areas just west of here (here being Pensacola) there are public health warnings out against swimming in the water. I haven't heard of anything in Florida yet but who knows how it will be in a few weeks when you start your vacation.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

In addition there may be no way to get it completely out of stuff like wetsuits and bc's. Once the material is impregnated with it some will likley always be there. How much will depend on amt in the water and length of time exposed to it. THis is why you see chem resistant suits and even bc's that are designed to be decontaminated. And the stuff that is used to decontaminate those may do just as much damage to regular gear as the oil itself. As far as regs go it could warrant replacing all rubber stuff such as orings and diaphragms. Not just because they could be degraded but just how much of the little droplets that could be aerosoled by the compressed air do you want to inhale?

 

[spectrum]

I'd be just was concerned for my well being. I don't know what the distribution of the oil would be and how it morphs as it travels but there is plenty of stuff in there that is just plain toxic or known to be a carcinogen. Some of those same materials are destructive to some of the rubber/rubber like components in dive gear.

Unless you are equipped for a hazmat assignment I'd just say no. No dive is worth the potential risks. I take your question very seriously. If the region in question is said to unaffected at the time and you are thinking precautionary Dawn in the rinse can't hurt. I don't have enough understanding of the effect of the dispersants to know if no sheen & no tar balls equals no oil. The sad fact is that the BP Oil Spill has made the Gulf into a giant research laboratory for the next generation and to a large extent we don't even know what we don't know.

Pete

 

[Bob DBF]

I'd be just was concerned for my well being. I don't know what the distribution of the oil would be and how it morphs as it travels but there is plenty of stuff in there that is just plain toxic or known to be a carcinogen. Some of those same materials are destructive to some of the rubber/rubber like components in dive gear.

I don't have enough understanding of the effect of the dispersants to know if no sheen & no tar balls equals no oil. The sad fact is that the BP Oil Spill has made the Gulf into a giant research laboratory for the next generation and to a large extent we don't even know what we don' know.

Pete

You hit the nail on the head Pete.

The dispersant is my big worry.

According to the U.S. National Research Council, oil spill dispersants do not actually reduce the total amount of oil entering the environment. Rather, they change the chemical and physical properties of the oil, making it more likely to mix into the water column than to contaminate the shoreline.

See Gulf Oil Spill Fight Turns to Chemicals

The problems I see are:
1. They are giving up a known solution which looks bad at the beach to an unknown solution which introduces the oil contamination to the entire water column which will be harder to show on camera but may well be more devastating to the food chain. This is changing a 2 dimensional problem to a 3 dimensional one.
2. Since "they (dispersants) change the chemical and physical properties of the oil" and since dive gear is almost completely made of "oil compounds" I would avoid Gulf diving 'till this is over.
3. Also your person will be exposed to whatever is in the water and breathing whatever compounds the oil is off-gassing as it breaks down naturally and with the dispersants aid.


Bob
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There is no problem that can't be solved with a liberal application of sex, tequila, money, duct tape, or high explosives, not necessarily in that order.