Engineers rule out using booms made of hair to soak up growing Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Engineers will not use hair to soak Gulf oil spill

COVINGTON, La. — Engineers will not use booms made out of hair to soak up the growing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Barbers have collected hair in hopes that it could contain the ooze as it invades deeper into coastal marshland. But crews said Saturday they concluded using the hair was not feasible, and the organizations collecting the hair were asked to stop doing so.

Engineers said a test conducted in February during an oil spill in Texas showed that commercial boom absorbed more oil and less water than hair boom.

Charlie Henry of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said booms made from hair became water-logged and sank within a short period of time.