11,313
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
White House energy adviser [[Carol Browner]] famously compared oil dispersants The Coast Guard and others frequently referred to using dish soap to clean oily pans in the sinkdispersants as "approved," implying their safety.<ref>Kate Shepherd and David CornHowever, [http://motherjones.com/environment/2010/06/epathe so-bp-toxic-oil-dispersant "Hey EPA: How Are Those Dispersant Tests Going?"]called list of approved chemicals, ''Mother Jones'', June 23, 2010, Accessed August 7, 2010.</ref> The the EPA defended BP's release of dispersants in National Contingency Plan Product Schedule was treated by the Deepwater Horizon spillCoast Guard and others as an "approved" list, insisting that the mixture of oil and dispersants are was no more toxic to two marine species tested than oil alonesuch thing. Also, they maintain that Corexit is "generally no It was more or less toxic" than other simply a list of available dispersantson the market.<ref>Ben GemenFirst, [http://thehilla manufacturer would nominate itself and provide data to indicate that its product(s) are effective.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/113121-house-dem-questions-epa-dispersant-defense "House Dem questions EPA dispersant defense"], ''The Hill'', August 6, 2010.</ref> In a letter Although the manufacturers also had to vouch for the EPA, Rep. Jerrold Nadler challenged safety of their statementsproducts, asking about there was no threshold of toxicity that would disqualify a Swedish study, that used product from inclusion in the EPA's data but found that "a mixture of oil and dispersant give rise to a more toxic effect on aquatic organisms than oil and dispersants do alonelist."<ref>Ben GemenJonathan Tilove, [http://thehillwww.nola.com/blogsnews/e2gulf-oil-wirespill/index.ssf/2010/677-e2-wire08/113121-house-dem-questions-epa-dispersant-defense epa_official_defends_role_of_d.html "House Dem questions EPA dispersant defenseofficial defends role of dispersants in Gulf of Mexico oil spill response"], ''The HillNOLA.com'', August 64, 2010, Accessed August 7, 2010.</ref> For more information, see the article [[U.S. Government Cover-Up of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill]].
== August 4 Senate Hearing on Dispersants ==In an August 4 hearing, Sen. [[Barbara Boxer]] (D-CA), Sen. White House energy adviser [[Sheldon WhitehouseCarol Browner]] (D-RI), and the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works questioned the effectiveness and toxicity of the famously compared oil dispersants used to using dish soap to clean oily pans in the Deepwater Horizon spillsink.<ref>Senate Environment & Public Works CommitteeKate Shepherd and David Corn, [http://wwwmotherjones.c-spanvideo.orgcom/videoLibraryenvironment/event.php?id=185753 Use of Dispersants in Gulf Oil Spill, Government Panel], C-Span, August 4, 2010</ref> Some Senators characterized the dispersants as a perhaps toxic (but government approved) method of saving the shoreline, whereas others expressed sentiments that the dispersants made an already toxic situation even worse. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) spoke of his bill, the Safe Dispersants Act, which would "require long-term testing and disclosure of all ingredients in a dispersant before it can be used in response to a spill."<ref>Andrew Restuccia, [http:06//washingtonindependent.com/92770/lautenbergepa-billbp-willtoxic-require-chemicaloil-dispersant-testing "Lautenberg Bill Will Require Chemical Hey EPA: How Are Those Dispersant TestingTests Going?"], ''The Washington IndependentMother Jones'', July 27June 23, 2010, Accessed August 7, 2010.</ref>
In The EPA defended BP's release of dispersants in the hearingDeepwater Horizon spill, EPA representative [[Paul Anastas]] testified, admitting insisting that the longterm effects mixture of oil and dispersants on aquatic life are unknownno more toxic to two marine species tested than oil alone. Also, but claiming they maintain that the EPA Corexit is not observing the "generally no more or less toxic" than other available dispersants in their monitoring and suggesting that the dispersants have perhaps broken down in the environment. He spoke of the <ref>Ben Gemen, [http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/113121-house-dem-questions-epa-dispersant-defense "House Dem questions EPAdispersant defense"], 's tests of toxicity on two species'The Hill'', August 6, 2010. He said that </ref> In a letter to the eight dispersants tested were non-toxic to mildly toxicEPA, whereas the oil alone was moderately toxicRep. TogetherJerrold Nadler challenged their statements, he saidasking about a Swedish study, the that used EPA's data but found that "a mixture of oil and dispersants were no dispersant give rise to a more toxic effect on aquatic organisms than the oil and dispersants do alone to ."<ref>Ben Gemen, [http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/113121-house-dem-questions-epa-dispersant-defense "House Dem questions EPA dispersant defense"], ''The Hill'', August 6, 2010.</ref> For more information, see the two speciesarticle [[U.S. He also maintained that the dispersants were successful in keeping the oil off Government Cover-Up of the shoreline and therefore any environmental impacts of their use were offset by the benefits of keeping oil from the Gulf coastDeepwater Horizon Oil Spill]].
{{stub}}[[Category:Deepwater Horizon]]
SW: →Related Sourcewatch articles: add link
== U.S. Government Cover-Up of Toxicity of Dispersants ==
== August 4, 2010 Senate Hearing on Dispersants ==In her questioningan August 4 hearing, Sen. [[Barbara Boxer clarified that Corexit 9527A was used for the first 30 days following the spill]] (D-CA), after which BP used Corexit 9500Sen. She read from the MSDS for Corexit 9527A: "Eye and skin irritant. Repeated or excessive exposure to butoxyethanol may cause injury to red blood cells [[Sheldon Whitehouse]] (hemolysisD-RI), kidney or and the liver. Harmful by inhalation, in contact with skin Senate Committee on Environment and if swallowed. Do not get in eyes, on skin, on clothing. Do not take internally. Use with adequate ventilation. Wear suitable protective clothing. Keep container tightly closed. Flush affected area with water." She then established, with Public Works questioned the help effectiveness and toxicity of Anastas, that Corexit 9500 contains "petroleum distillates" that are like kerosene the dispersants used in them as a solvent. She said that the labels define the products as acute human health hazards. This statement was a misreading of the labels. The Corexit 9500 label says "No toxicity studies have been conducted on this product" but then defines the product as a "Moderate" human health hazard. The Corexit 9527A states that the product's rating as a human health hazard is "HighDeepwater Horizon spill." In addition<ref>Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, the MSDS for Corexit 9527A says[http: "The principal health effects following acute exposure to [[2-butoxyethanol]] are irritation of the eyes and respiratory tract. 2-butoxyethanol is readily absorbed through the skin//www. In laboratory animals exposed to 2c-butoxyethanol via inhalation, blood(hemolysis) and secondary effects on the kidney and liver have been observedspanvideo. When 2-butoxyethaol is ingested it is metabolized to butoxyacetic acid (BAA), which can cause hemolysisorg/videoLibrary/event. BAA is rapidly excreted in urine in animals and humans with an urinary excretion half-life php?id=185753 Use of approximately 3-6 hours Dispersants in humans. Human red blood cells have been shown to be significantly less sensitive to hemolysis than those of rodents and rabbits. These effects are transient and when exposure is discontinuedGulf Oil Spill, Government Panel], these effects subside. 2C-butoxyethanol does not cause adverse reproductive or birth effects in animalsSpan, August 4, unless exposures occur at levels high enough to induce significant maternal toxicity." Barbara Boxer also mentioned and submitted records of 334 people who became sick from 2010</ref> Some Senators characterized the pollution of the oil spill and dispersants in Louisiana, as well as lawsuits brought by people in Alabama who became sick. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse noted that the fact that the dispersants were "a perhaps toxic (but government approved" was often cited as proof ) method of their safety. He asked Anastas to explain the approval process for saving the dispersantsshoreline, a process whereas others expressed sentiments that was quite flimsy and haphazard. Then Rep. Whitehouse asked about bioaccumulation, the tendency of some pollutants to accumulate in the bodies of organisms living among the in the environment. Anastas brought up the term biomagnification, which describes the phenomenon when species at the top of the food chain accumulate large amounts of a particular pollutant at a much greater magnitude than they are present at the bottom of the food chaindispersants made an already toxic situation even worse. Sen. Whitehouse asked him at what order Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) spoke of magnitude this might occur. He repliedhis bill, "Tenthe Safe Dispersants Act, hundred, thousands.which would " Sen. Whitehouse then confirmed with him that it would be possible for a top require long-term testing and disclosure of the food chain species to have all ingredients in a pollutant in its body at 10,000 times the concentration as dispersant before it is found can be used in the species at the bottom of the food chain. Sen. Whitehouse then alluded response to the human health impacts of the dispersants brought up by Sena spill. Boxer and asked why the chemicals would have those effects on humans but not on fish. In the same hearing"<ref>Andrew Restuccia, David Westerholm, Director of [[NOAA]http://washingtonindependent.com/92770/lautenberg-bill-will-require-chemical-dispersant-testing "Lautenberg Bill Will Require Chemical Dispersant Testing"], ''The Washington Independent''s Office of Response and Restoration, testified. He called dispersants an "effective tool" but also noted "trade-offs." He noted some gaps July 27, 2010, Accessed August 7, 2010</ref> See more in scientific knowledge the article on the environmental effects of the dispersants. According to him, no seafood tested has been found with unsafe levels of [[PAHsAugust 4, 2010 Senate Hearing on Oil Dispersants]] as a result of the spill or dispersants. When asked by Boxer, he said it was too early to make any conclusions about the long-term impacts of the spill and dispersants on the fisheries in the Gulf.
==Articles and resources==
* [[BP]]
* [[Corexit]]
* [[August 4, 2010 Senate Hearing on Oil Dispersants]]
===References===
* Ben Gemen, [http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/113121-house-dem-questions-epa-dispersant-defense "House Dem questions EPA dispersant defense"], ''The Hill'', August 6, 2010.
* Suzanne Goldenberg, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/05/oil-spill-white-house-accused-spin "Gulf oil spill: White House accused of spinning report"], ''The Guardian'', August 5, 2010.
* Dan Froomkin, [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/02/limited-test-finds-disper_n_667896.html "Limited Test Finds Dispersant Not Adding Toxicity To Oil, But Questions Remain"], ''Huffington Post'', August 2, 2010.
* Jane Tierney, [http://www.berkeleyside.com/2010/06/04/berkeley-scientist-advises-on-clean-up-in-gulf-oil-spill/ "Berkeley scientist advises on clean-up in gulf oil spill"], ''Berkeleyside'', June 4, 2010.
