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I had a call from a concerned resident of Louisiana ... "How could they use human hair to reduce the impact of oil on their shores?" he asked. San Francisco uses matts of human hair donated by hair salons to help soak up oil -- you know how porous human hair is! This article might point to some solutions for people to get started EARLY is preventing damage to the ecosystem -- and human hair could be one of the many, many solutions needed.

While the initial effects of the massive Gulf Coast oil leak could be devastating to coastal wetlands and beaches, the subsequent cleanup could be even more damaging to the sensitive eco-systems, said a wetlands expert in Indiana University's School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA).

Wetlands Science

"They do things like pressure washing rocks and sand, and any kind of attached organisms get blown off," he added. "They may end up excavating sand off beaches. The marshes, which really dominate Louisiana coastline, are mostly vegetation and cleanup there is really going to be problematic."

Gulf States Affected: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama... and Florida

"The biggest problem now is that they can't seem to stop the leakage," said Craft, who studies biogeochemical cycling of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in coastal and inland wetlands, focusing on restoration of tidal marshes, such as those found along the Gulf coast

Drill Baby Drill

"If they could do stop the leakage, they could at least contain the problem, but from what I understand it's going to be weeks, possibly even months before they're able to do that," he added. "The fact that there doesn't seem to be a quick solution to stopping the leaking is what concerns me the most."

Yes, it will affect the food in YOUR grocery stores

The IU professor has previously seen the effects of a major oil spill on a coastal region. He was involved in the restoration efforts necessary because of the Amoco Cadiz, a crude oil tanker that ran aground off the coast of Brittany, France in 1978. At that time, it was the largest oil spill ever.

Cleanup of the Gulf Spill Will Take YEARS

"Nature will recover on its own, but in the absence of some human help, it will take a long time," he said.

Source: Indiana University