EPA consultant: Locals “falling ill after exposure to tiny airborne particles of crude

[nashville_brook]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/28/bp-gulf-oil-spill-pollution
http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/epa-consultant-locals-falling-ill-after-exposure-to-tiny-airborne-particles-of-crude


EPA consultant: Locals “falling ill after exposure to tiny airborne particles of crude”



(snip)

Wilma Subra, a chemist who has served as a consultant to the Environmental Protection Agency, said there was growing anecdotal evidence that locals were falling ill after exposure to tiny airborne particles of crude. Air quality data released earlier by the EPA suggested the presence of chemicals that – while still within legal limits – could be dangerous. But Subra complained that the EPA was not releasing all data it had gathered from BP.

“Every time the wind blows from the south-east to the shore, people are being made sick,” she said. “It causes severe headaches, nausea, respiratory problems, burning eyes and sore throats.”

(snip)

Clint Guidry, of the Louisiana Shrimp Association, has accused BP of threatening to sack workers who turn up wearing respirators. The oil firm said it was not aware of any workers being turned away, but noted that it was the responsibility of the Obama administration to decide whether such protective gear was warranted. Hugh Kaufman, chief investigator for the EPA’s ombudsman, said he encountered similar worker safety policies after 9/11. “If people are wearing respirators, it scares people because they realise how toxic it is,” he said. “The administration is down-playing the problem because it saves them money down the line. It was the same at Ground Zero.”

EPA tests indicate that the combined effect of dispersants and crude oil are even more toxic than individually. “There are dispersants being applied by aeroplane and by boat, and these people on the water are being sprayed over and over again,” Subra said. Five offshore rigs have been shut down since the spill after workers fell ill. Seven workers on a boat trying to scrub the oil from Breton Sound were taken to hospital on Wednesday, complaining of burning eyes, headaches, nausea, dizziness and chest pains. Five were treated and released.

[Ruby the Liberal]

1. "The administration is down-playing the problem because it saves them money down the line"

Um, I thought we were drinking on BP's tab on this one?

I can appreciate TPTB not wanting images satellite linked across the globe of people in Hazmat gear cleaning up beaches, but it *IS* our Government's job to ensure safety requirements are being met.

Where the hell is OSHA on this?

[nashville_brook]

2. that's a very good question. where was OSHA during the 9-11 clean-up?

i don't know the answer to that, but it might be informative to know what role they played (if any) in "ensuring safety" at the WTC site.

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. +1

[gratuitous]

4. Oh, that can't be right

I've been personally assured by expert petrogeomedicological, uh, smart guy Rush Limbaugh that this is all perfectly natural and a part of the naturally-occurring environment. These people have probably gotten sick (if they've really gotten sick, that is) just to make BP look bad. It's obviously due to something else.

[charlesg]

5. Could be benzene gas

which is not too soluble and tends to be near the surface.