Methinks it’s time for an injection of KNOWLEDGE DISPERSANT
Chemical Dispersents and You: An educational journey.
- Within the past week, 9 workers hired by BP to clean oil in the Gulf have been hospitalized with complaints ranging from shortness of breath and upset stomach to severe headaches and nosebleeds. One worker remains hospitalized and has filed a restraining order against BP, alleging that before he was allowed to enter the hospital he was stripped of his clothing. The restraining order specifically requests that BP stop using the chemical dispercent Corexit unless workers are provided with protective masks, which currently they are not.
- What is Corexit you ask? Corexit is a product line manufatured by Nalco Holding Company, which specializes in chemical and water treatment. It is worth noting that Nalco Holding Company has very close ties to BP, Exxon, and Goldman Sachs.
- Corexit works by dispersing the oil film into small droplets which mix with sea water and, consequently, produces harmful vapors as some of the oil is dispersed into the air.
- According to Nalco’s safety data sheet on Corexit, people should “avoid breathing in vapor” from Corexit, and that masks should be work when Corexit is present in certain concentrations in the air.
- Corexit was used in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska. According to the Alaska Community Action on Toxics, the use of Corexit during the Exxon Valdez oil spill caused “respiratory, nervous system, liver, kidney and blood disorders” in people.
- On May 19, the EPA gave BP 24 hours to choose a less toxic chemical dispersent or provide an explanation for why they couldn’t. BP has thus far used a variant of the Corexit product line, and applied approx. 800,000 gallons underwater.
- According to Clint Guidry, president of the Louisiana Shrimper’s Association, BP has threatened workers who speak out against the health concerns and working conditions. Many of the workers hired by BP are shrimpers who have lost their livelihoods because of the oil spill.
Bottom Line:
We know that there are more effective, less harmful chemical dispersents available. From nytimes.com -
“Of 18 dispersants whose use EPA has approved, 12 were found to be more effective on southern Louisiana crude than Corexit, EPA data show. Two of the 12 were found to be 100 percent effective on Gulf of Mexico crude, while the two Corexit products rated 56 percent and 63 percent effective, respectively. The toxicity of the 12 was shown to be either comparable to the Corexit line or, in some cases, 10 or 20 times less, according to EPA.”
- We also know that oil industry insiders from BP and Exxon serve on Nalco’s board of directors. On a side note, did anyone catch that there’s an 11 year old on the board of directors at BP? Not joking.
- We have data that indicates that the chemical Dispersit is nearly half as toxic and twice as effective as Corexit, but manufactured by a totally different company (US Polychemical Corp.)
- We know that the individuals hired to clean up the oil spill who come into contact with the harmful vapors from Corexit will become very ill, just like the workers from the Exxon Valdez spill who suffered liver and kidney damage among other health consequences.
FUBP
~ Morgan
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Bill Blair said,
06/19/2010 at 12:26 AM
Friggin ridiculous. FUBP indeed.