Out of sight, out of mind?

As surface oil plumes fade from view in the Gulf of Mexico, courtesy of the capped Macondo well, it would be wrong to think that the oil still isn’t there, forensic toxicologists warn.

“We’re finding less and less oil as we move forward,” disaster response chief Thad Allen said last week, noting that skimmer boats were having trouble finding slicks.

The retired Coast Guard admiral also pointed out that 40% of the leaked oil – more than 90 million gallons of crude by U.S. Geologic Survey scientist estimates – is unaccounted for.

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