Auburn University civil engineering professor Prabhakar Clement continues to study effects of the 2010 BP oil spill. On a trip to the Gulf Coast in May, he collected tar balls found lining the beaches for testing. More than one pound of tar balls were picked up along a small stretch of beach at Fort Morgan. The tests confirmed the tar balls were from the BP oil spill, and he said the chemicals in those tar balls aren’t breaking down effectively.

Clement advises people not to be afraid to swim in the Gulf of Mexico because he said it’s not immediately harmful. However, he said Alabama can’t afford to ignore the continuing impact of the BP oil spill.

“It’s slowly poisoning the environment and the longterm consequences aren’t completely clear,” Clement said.