NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Since oil started spewing out of the ruptured BP well in the Gulf, they have been researching the bad things that happen when a spill occurs. They dragged up everything they could find about the Exxon-Valdez spill in Alaska and all other spills in the last few decades.
Aside from the mess on the beach that everyone dreads, and the oil-soaked wildlife, there is another catastrophe that we hear little about: a sudden rise in crime.
Studies show that towns close to waves of oil coming in fromthe ocean show an increase in violent crime that seems to focus on domestic disturbances and assault. Scientists believe that the stench from the oil has something to do with it.
Perhaps they should shift their attention to the lowly rat that is commonly used for experiments.
What happens when rats are exposed to gasoline fumes? They fight!
No one knows why rats fight when they smell gas, but other than a bad reputation, they are warm-blooded as we are. They eat the same foods we eat, and are smart enough to have survived all those thousands ofyears right along with us.
They are enough like us that most of the medicine we take is first given to laboratory rats to determine if it is fit for human consumption. There is a sharp rise in the crime rate when we smell oil, and rats fight when they smell it, so what can be done about it?
I suggest if scientists did develop a pill, the bad side effects would be worse than smelling the oil, so the best thing people and rats on the Gulf can do is “whiff and fight!”
LONNIE TRENT / Elkins
Opinion, Pages 5 on 07/22/2010