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Marylee Orr, Executive Director of LEAN speaks with MSNBC's Keith Olbermann of the health issues workers are encountering duing the cleanup efforts in the gulf
Health Impacts Associated with the Dispersants Corexit 9500 and 9527 Being Used by BP and Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil Flowing from the Deepwater Horizon Wellhead
In order to inform community members in the areas of impact of the BP Crude Oil Disaster and fishermen and workers performing crude oil containment and cleanup activities, the health impacts associated with the dispersants and the crude oil have been compiled by our chemist Wilma Subra.
BP Coughs Up Another Drop of Air Quality Data: Not Reassuring
Posted June 10, 2010
New BP air testing results were posted yesterday from April 27 - May 26
for benzene, total hydrocarbons, and 2-Butoxyethanol. There's still no
information about other oil-related air toxic chemicals such as
naphthalene or hydrogen sulfide, offshore.
The BP sampling plan focuses only on workers on the large ships, and
appears to not include monitoring for the people on the approximately
1,500 small fishing boats helping to clean up the spill. These people
are dismissed as of "Reduced Priority" on page 4 of the BP sampling
plan.
Nearly 70% (275 out of 399) of offshore air samples had detectable
levels of hydrocarbons and nearly 1 in 5 (73 out of 399) had levels
greater than 10 parts per million (ppm), which is an EPA cutoff level
for further investigation.
6 samples exceed 100 ppm which in a previous monitoring summary was
labeled as the action limit. This label appears to have been removed in
the most recent summary document. No information is given on where
these samples, or the 4 found to be between 50 and 100 ppm, were taken.
Environmental groups and
communities cheer decision to enforce hazardous waste laws
June 8, 2010
Washington,
DC -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today
withdrew a dangerous Bush-era exemption that allowed polluters to store,
transport, and burn hazardous waste without meeting crucial public
health and environmental protection requirements. EPA's action means
that more than 100,000 tons of hazardous waste will again be subject to
federal hazardous waste protections.
"This is a great victory for Americans and their lungs," said
Earthjustice attorney James Pew. "Communities across the country,
particularly those already burdened by toxic air, faced increases of
hazardous air pollutants as a result of this dangerous rule. EPA
Administrator Lisa Jackson's withdrawal of this rule demonstrates a
commitment to protecting public health that should have Americans
breathing a little easier."
The so-called Emissions
Comparable Fuels exclusion shunted hazardous wastes that can be
burned as fuel outside the definition of "solid waste." This regulatory
sleight-of-hand allowed facilities that store, transport, and burn these
wastes to avoid the "cradle-to-grave" control requirements that
Congress enacted to protect people from exposure to hazardous chemicals.
"We're pleased that EPA has prioritized public health and refused to
bow to the demands of industrial polluters," said Marylee Orr, Executive
Director for Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN). "Citizens
of the Gulf Coast, who are currently contending with the worst man-made
environmental disaster of our time, could use some good news. This
decision means our air will be much cleaner."
After about a month of pressure from the public and interested parties like LEAN and LMRK, the chemical constituents of the dispersant COREXIT has been released to the general public.
We
will be sending out a follow-up alert from our chemist Wilma Subra on
what health concerns these chemicals hold for those exposed to them and
the environment in which they are being released.
What are the chemical components of the dispersants COREXIT 9500 and COREXIT 9527?
The components of COREXIT 9500 and 9527 are:
CAS Registry Number
Chemical Name
57-55-6
1,2-Propanediol
111-76-2
Ethanol, 2-butoxy-*
577-11-7
Butanedioic acid, 2-sulfo-, 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester, sodium salt (1:1)
Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) and the Lower Mississippi
Riverkeeper (LMRK) have been working to protect the health of the
fishermen who are working to address the crude oil disaster in the Gulf
of Mexico and the estuaries and wetlands in the coastal areas.
In order to offset the loss of livelihood, BP was encouraged to hire
local fishermen, who have first hand knowledge of the wetlands, marshes
and water bodies. The fishermen were hired to install booms and
absorbent pads to protect the coastal areas and estuaries and to
participate in the crude oil cleanup activities. The fishermen have
experienced negative heath impacts such as headaches, nausea,
dizziness, chest pains, respiratory impacts, irritation to eyes, nose,
throat and lungs and asthma attacks.
On May 4, 2010, LEAN and LMRK received and began distributing
protective gear to the fishermen to utilize during cleanup activities.
The protective gear consisted of half face respirators with organic
vapor cartridges, goggles, gloves and sleeve protectors. LEAN and LMRK
have continued to provide protective gear to fishermen and individuals
going into the polluted areas.
LEAN has gone to court and engaged the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) in attempts to have the health and safety
of the fishermen workers protected and to have BP provide proper
training and protective gear to the fishermen.
BP has continued to fail to provide adequate protective gear and
respirators to fishermen working in close proximity to the spilled
crude oil and dispersants. The workers are afraid to complain, for
fear they will loose their cleanup jobs, their only source of
livelihood. BP has threatened to fire fishermen attempting to utilize
respirators provided by LEAN, LMRK and other organizations.
Gina Solomon's Blog