Hi folks,

Saw this one on the Seabird-L list, and thought that we here in
the PNW ought to be aware of the options for cleaning oil-impacted
seabirds. After the "Nestucca" spill, I was impressed that a lot of time,
money and effort was spent on cleaning birds, when double-hull
requirements would have done a hell of a lot more good....

Anyway, read this and see if it sounds reasonable....

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 2 May 1999 08:06:08 SAST-2
From: John Cooper <jcooper at botzoo.uct.ac.za>
To: seabird at uct.ac.za

DRY CLEANING FOR BIRDS

>Scientists in Australia have discovered a novel way to clean the
>feathers of birds that become covered in oil. They use a fine powder
>of iron and a magnetic comb.

>Experiments by researchers at Victoria University of Technology in
>Melbourne, Australia, show that the oil sticks better to the iron than
>the birds' plumage. If the powder is sprinkled on the feathers and then
>combed out with a magnet, the oil comes away with the metal.

>"We were quite amazed by the efficiency of the cleansing process,"
>John Orbell, the lead researcher told New Scientist magazine.

>The new technique is said to remove the oil without damaging the
>waterproof properties of the birds' feathers. This can be a problem
>with the traditional cleaning technique which involves bathing the
>birds in soapy water.

>Orbell and his colleagues tested the powder on duck feathers coated
>with different grades of oil. Just one round of powder coating and
>magnetic combing removed 88% of light crude oils and more than
>60% of the stickier, thicker grades. However, when the procedure was
>repeated 10 times, 97% of all kinds of oil was removed.

>The Melbourne team, who report their work in the Marine Pollution
>Bulletin, are now developing a portable field unit so rescuers can
>remove the bulk of the contamination at the location of an oil spill.

>"Iron powder is cheap and plentiful, and both non-toxic and a
>non-irritant," Orbell said.

>The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals which
>handles the cleaning of birds washed up on the UK coastline
>welcomed the new development. However, a spokesman said many
>of the severely oiled birds were coated with a dried, tar-like residue
>that might be harder to clean with the iron powder.
_________________________________________

John Cooper
Coordinator
BirdLife International Seabird Conservation Programme
based at the
Avian Demography Unit
Department of Statistical Sciences
University of Cape Town
Rondebosch 7700
South Africa

jcooper at botzoo.uct.ac.za

Website: http://www.uct.ac.za/depts/stats/adu/seabirds

Office Phone: +27-21-650-3426
Office Fax: +27-21-650-3434
Home Phone: +27-21-685-1357 (answering machine)

"Help albatrosses avoid death by drowning:
encourage responsible longline fishing"
_____________________________________________