Orange Beach AL Testing the Waters As Rumors Flow Faster Than Oil

[maddezmom]

Orange Beach, Alabama has been the subject of many questions, accusations and rumors regarding the presence of Corexit components, oil, and "cover-ups" regarding the safety of the area for residents and tourists alike. So, we took a drive and spent two days in the area, interviewing activists and city officials. We tried to converse with chemist Bob Naman of ACT Laboratory, but after numerous attempts to contact him regarding his well -publicized test results for Corexit compounds, including a visit to his lab on Pleasant Valley Road, and a phone call to his receptionist as we are writing this, we have had almost no luck.

However, a spontaneous visit to City Hall answered a lot of questions.

As we have written before, people along the Gulf are scared, confused, and in some cases angry that they have not gotten the straight story on air and water quality. There is no doubt that BP lied about the amount of oil being spewed into the Gulf of Mexico from Day One, no doubt that the EPA has obfuscated issues surrounding the use of the chemical dispersant, Corexit, and no doubt that bloggers have gone entirely beyond the tenets of responsible journalism. The Gulf of Mexico is neither an apocalyptic wasteland, nor was it a pristine body of water before the explosion of the Macondo wellhead in April.

much more here and worth reading until the end. http://www.opednews.com/articles/Orange-Beach-AL-Testing-th-by-Georgianne-Nienabe-100827-209.html

[Mimosa]

1. Great article, maddezmom

There's a reason BP used Corexit and a lot of it.

Who told the EPA to conceal the truth and lay low, I wonder.

From the article:

The latest news out of Orange Beach is that ACT Laboratory found a component of Corexit in Cotton Bayou. Actually, the "news" fromTV station WKRGwas that the "chemical dispersant Corexit" was found in Cotton Bayou. First off, there are several chemical components of Corexit and you cannot test for "Corexit" as such.

Reporter Debbie Williams said, "She (a resident) got samples and sent them to chemist Bob Naman in Mobile whose tests results show 13 point 3 parts per million of the chemical dispersant Corexit."

What was found, and it was found by "a lab in Ohio," according to Naman's receptionist, was 2-butoxyethanol, a component of the outlawed Corexit formulation EC9527A. Now we cannot confirm this, because Naman will not let us view the test results or contact the "lab in Ohio." We called him twice from the meeting with activists at the Holiday Inn Express and were told he was at a funeral and that he would call us back later in the afternoon. This was on Thursday.

On Friday, he still had not called, so we drove to his office and lab, which was locked at 8 AM. So we took a few photos to show we tried and were about to leave when his receptionist pulled up. We asked to come in and were allowed, but she did not seem too happy about it.

[Junkdrawer]

2. WTF: The EPA is using 750 PPM as the screening level?

The official in the linked video said they are finding 66 ppm, but the EPA screening level is 750 PPM.

but the article says:

The PEL (permissible exposure limit) for humans is 25 ppm, reduced from 50 ppm in an abundance of caution by regulatory agencies.