it contains volatile organic compounds. it contains a group of chemicals called pahs that are in duration and amount of exposure deadly to life forms. deadly to humans. deadly to sea life. deadly to plant life. and when you add to that the 2 million gallons of chemical dispersantç applied which saiso made of toxins, dr. james diaz, one of the many doctors i interviewed for my piece, a toxic gumbo to which they've been exposed. so that oil did not magically disappear. it's still on the bottom of the gulf. it's still in the water.