Gulf oil spill: EPA orders BP to use less toxic dispersant

The Environmental Protection Agency has ordered BP to use a less toxic chemicals in the company’s effort to clean up the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a key congressman announced on Thursday.

Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), who three days ago questioned the toxicity of a dispersant called Corexit, praised the agency’s decision. Markey had argued that some formulations of Corexit were banned in Britain more than a decade ago because of harmful effects to sea life.

“I commend the Obama administration for acting swiftly to address my concerns that the dispersant BP chose to use is more toxic than other available formulations,” said Markey, who chairs the Energy and Environment Subcommittee in the Energy and Commerce Committee. “The effect of long-term use of dispersants on the marine ecosystem has not been extensively studied, and we need to act with the utmost of caution.”

The use of dispersants is one tactic in the battle to contain the damage from the leaking underwater well that has poured millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in the last month.

After criticism of Corexit surfaced at recent congressional hearings, the EPA gave BP 24 hours to find a new dispersant. The company must submit its list of agents for approval to the EPA.

 A formal announcement by the EPA was posted Thursday.

On Wednesday, Rep. John Hall (D-N.Y.) used some of his time in the House Transportation and Infrastructure hearing to grill the head of BP America, Lamar McKay, over the company's choice of Corexit. Hall said that the company that makes the dispersant, Nalco Holding, has a former BP executive on its board.

BP officials have repeatedly said that the dispersants are safe, arguing they are like soap that breaks the oil into smaller drops that can be naturally degraded by microbes.

“The tests used to measure the toxicity of dispersants involve only a 96-hour dose to the marine animals that will be exposed to them – clearly, their effects when they’re used over longer periods might be significantly more damaging,” Markey said in his letter. “The release of hundreds of thousands of gallons of chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico could be an unprecedented, large and aggressive experiment on our oceans. We must ensure that these chemicals, which are being touted as a way to mitigate the effects of the spill, first do no harm to marine life.”

-- Michael Muskal

twitter.com/LATimesmuskal

Comments

[Maurice]

To Whom it May Concern......
After having read this article, I would like to take the opportunity to make the public and BP aware that Nanotechnology Products already exist for such clean-up situations, as the one this nation presently faces in the Gulf of Mexico.

Green Earth Technologies sells a product line called, G-MARINE Fuel Spill Clean-UP! (NANO Emulsion Technology) Oil Dispersant. G-MARINE Fuel Spill Clean-UP! is a unique blend of plant derived, water based and ultimate biodegradable ingredients specifically formulated to quickly emulsify and encapsulate fuel and oil spills. These plant derived ingredients are processed to form a colloidal micelle whose small particle size (1-4 nanometers) enables it to penetrate and breakdown long chain hydrocarbons bonds in oils and grease and holds them in a colloidal suspension when mixed with water. Once oil has been suspended in a nano-colloidal suspension, there is no reverse emulsion; the oil becomes water soluble allowing it to be consumed by resident bacteria in the water. This dispersant formula is protected by trade secrets pursuant to Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) Standard CFR-1910 1200. The ingredient list has been reviewed by the US EPA and contains no ingredients considered hazardous by OSHA.

Recent Press Release: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/corent-company-evergreen-flying-inc-and-green-earth-technologies-pull-together-resources-in-hopes-to-respond-to-gulf-oil-spill-93405934.html

[Michelle]

Translated: " Choose a dispersant that ISN'T manufactured by the company your company's company owns."

Party on the Fourth! July 4th, 2010 is Independence Day from British Petroleum-and friends!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/DONT-GAS-UP-on-JULY-4-AMERICAN-INDEPENDENCE-from-BRITISH-PETROLEUM-DAY/126319207380198

And take an energy-smart action that day!

[Michelle]

Horrible. What is BP doing to our planet? This is the cost of crude oil. If this doesn't wake us up, I don't know what will.

[Dan]

Seems the administration is trying to hamper BP from cleaning up the mess. Let them do the job and keep the beauracrats out of it.

[Merle Savage]

Article from Las Vegas Review Journal:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/exxon-valdez-oil-risks-spur-warning-for-gulf-cleanup-crews-93258964.html

More on the Subject:
The workers who are cleaning up the oil in the Gulf need to be aware of the chemicals that will be used for the cleaning. I am one of the 11,000+ cleanup workers from the Exxon Valdez oil spill, who is suffering from health issues from that toxic cleanup, without compensation from Exxon.

My name is Merle Savage; a female general foreman during the EVOS beach cleanup in 1989, which turned into 21 years of extensive health deterioration for me, and many other workers. Dr. Riki Ott visited me in 2007 to explain about the toxic spraying on the beaches. She also informed me that Exxon's medical records and the reports that surfaced in litigation brought by sick workers in 1994, had been sealed from the public, making it impossible to hold Exxon responsible for their actions.
http://www.rikiott.com

Dr. Riki Ott has devoted her life to taking control from corporations and giving it back to We The People. If corporations continue to control our legal system, then We The People become victims. http://www.MovetoAmend.org
Dr. Riki Ott has written two books; Sound Truth & Corporate Myth$ and Not One Drop. Dr. Ott has investigated and studied the oil spill spraying, and quotes numerous reports in her books, on the toxic chemicals that were used during the 1989 Prince William Sound oily beach cleanup. Black Wave the Film is based on Not One Drop, with interviews of EVOS victims; my interview was featured in the section; Like a War Zone.
http://www.blackwavethefilm.com

Exxon developed the toxic spraying; OSHA, the Coast Guard, and the state of Alaska authorized the procedure; VECO and other Exxon contractors implemented it. Beach crews breathed in crude oil that splashed off the rocks and into the air -- the toxic exposure turned into chronic breathing conditions and central nervous system problems, along with other massive health issues. Some of the illnesses include neurological impairment, chronic respiratory disease, leukemia, lymphoma, brain tumors, liver damage, and blood disease.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5632208859935499100

My web site is devoted to searching for EVOS cleanup workers who were exposed to the toxic spraying, and are suffering from the same illnesses that I have. Our summer employment turned into a death sentence for many -- and a life of unending medical conditions for the rest of us.
http://www.silenceinthesound.com/stories.shtml
http://www.silenceinthesound.com/gallery.shtml

[Mike]

It's the "Environmental Protection Agency" and not the "Environmental Protection Administration." Sucks when a story starts with a glaring error missed by the reporter and editors.