Quote Originally Posted by Dawnseeker View Post
Fallout is not a concern because the explosion would be done far enough beneath the surface that nuclear material would not rise into the atmosphere.
Perhaps "fallout" was the wrong term to describe the concern here, though personally I couldn't help coining the phrase "aquatic fallout". I think the main concern in this situation is radiation moving through water currents, rather than actually coming up into the atmosphere itself.

This event killed 12 people and there are not likely to be any more human deaths as a result.
I thought there was 11.

Yes, the damage to marine life is sad, but it is not catastrophic.
It might be for a couple of endangered species, but I haven't done my homework on which species of animals are being affected and how badly.

In the longterm, the only effects of this spill will be economic...
The damage to the economy and day-to-day living for people along the affected coastline is probably what has people the most concerned about this spill. Nature can heal the damages done in time, but a lot of people won't be able to wait around for it.