Bulacan instructor calls for human hair donations to address Bataan oil spill. Does it actually work?
An instructor from Bulacan called on barber shops and salons in the province to gather chunks of hair and donate them to address the oil spill from the ship that sank in Bataan.
"Tinatawagan ko po ng pansin ang mga 'Salon at Barber Shop' sa buong Bulacan na kung pwede po sana ay paki-ipon po ang mga buhok na pinag gupitan para i-donate po natin sa Bataan para sa pantanggal ng oil-spill," said Jeffrey Lobos of Bulacan State University in his Facebook post on July 30.
In the comments section, Lobos listed dropping centers for hair, including the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office in San Rafael, City Social Welfare and Development Office in Baliwag, Baliwag Business Center-City Economic Enterprise Office, the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office in Pulilan, Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office in Plaridel, City Social Welfare and Development Office in San Jose Del Monte, the provincial government of Bustos, and Dalig Transfer Station in Balagtas.
Hair boom
But does the seemingly hair-raising idea work? A resounding yes.
Lobos cited the 2020 video production of American media outlet Vox which featured the 2006 Guimaras oil spill.
That time, M/T Solar 1 hired by Petron Corporation sank off the coast, spilling over 130,000 gallons (500,000 liters) of bunker oil. It was dubbed as the worst oil spill in Philippine history.
However, locals found a way to deal with the issue through human hair stuffed in "freaky-looking sausage things" called hair boom, according to Vox.
Interestingly, this method originated from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989. Alabama hairstylist Phil McCrory on national television proposed using human hair as a filter for cleanup efforts, according to Vox.
McCrory said he observed how otters' fur becomes heavily saturated with oil and thought the same principle may work with human hair.
He conducted a successful experiment at home using a pantyhose stuffed with hair.
In 1998, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) borrowed McCrory's idea and used a filter to clean a 55-gallon drum filled with 40 gallons of water and 15 gallons of oil.
Vox, citing ScienceDaily's report, said only 17 parts of oil per million parts of water remained.
McCrory's innovation led to the establishment of the Hair Matters Program, which collects hair, fur, wool, fleece, fibers, and felt mats for oil spills, soil mulch, and seagrass restoration.
Lisa Craig Gautier, co-founder and president of Matter of Trust which created the Hair Matters Program, told Vox that oil coats hair on the outside as it's an "adsorbent," vis-a-vis a sponge that collects water as an absorbent.
Matter of Trust's warehouse in San Francisco receives hair cuttings from salons, pet groomers, and individuals, according to CNN International. It checks the hair for contaminants like debris, dirt, or lice, then separates the hair, spreads it over a frame, and runs through a custom-built felting machine to make absorbent mats.
Some 500 grams of hair can create a two-foot square, one-inch thick mat. It can collect up to 1.5 gallons (5.6 liters) of oil, per CNN.
Gautier told CNN that Matter of Trust has produced over 300,000 booms and more than 40,000 hair mats for major clean-ups and many more for non-emergency spills, like decontaminating storm drains and soaking up oil from leaking vehicles and machinery.
More importantly, hair is natural, cheap, and renewable, making it an ideal material, Vox noted.
Dispose of hair properly afterward
In a 2023 interview with TIME Magazine, Dr. Irene Rodriguez of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute said hair has to be prepared carefully and disposed of properly after use.
“Eventually, these will lead to problems if the hair with oil will just stay in the environment,” Rodriguez is quoted as saying.
Other oil skimming methods like using husks and other biomass materials must also use the same waste management practices.
“Volunteerism is always welcome,” Rodriguez said, “but we always have to weigh all the efforts that we’re putting in.”
MT Terranova's sinking
On July 25, the MT Terranova, carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil, was headed to Iloilo when it sank 3.6 nautical miles from Lamao point in Limay in Bataan due to bad weather.
One crew member died, while 16 others were rescued.
The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is set to conduct a siphoning operation after the motor tanker's valves have been sealed. On July 30, the PCG said only 18 of the 24 valves had been sealed.
The agency explained that of the 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil that MT Terranova has, 300,000 liters need to be siphoned to keep it afloat.
The process may take up to seven days.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. ordered the creation of an inter-agency task force to address the oil spill.
Oil spill effects
Time is of the essence when it comes to oil spills. Per the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, it can injure animals due to internal and external exposure. Seafood can be harmed and unsafe to eat.
It can also harm habitats and may alter migration patterns, disrupting the life cycles of animals.
It can also lead to the closures of beaches, parks, waterways, and recreational and commercial fisheries. This can severely impact economies in the short and long term.