Popcorn spill pollutes sea water

Last night while laying in bed trying to fall asleep, I was listening to BBC World Service on the radio. They ran a story about how some coastal city was dumping popcorn into the sea to simulate an oil spill. I looked this up and found an article about it.

Now, this article may not be the same event the report was referring to, but close enough. Interesting how something so simple, and environmentally safe (any uncollected "oil" will be eaten by the fish and birds), can be so useful. The radio story talked about how the popcorn, after it absorbs water, begins to act much like oil does in water, ie how water currents and weather affect where the "oil" flows.

Unfortunately, attempts to simulate gasoline in car tanks using popcorn have failed; as have rice to simulate an electrical current, and shampoo to simulate cooking fuel. Although, the combination of shampoo and conditioner have yet to be tested, but hold promise.