A C-130 Hercules sprays Corexit dispersant onto the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo: US Air Force)

A C-130 Hercules sprays Corexit dispersant onto the Gulf of Mexico. (Photo: US Air Force)

“On the Green Front” did a good segment on Deadly Dispersants in the Gulf, the new report from the Government Accountability Project that details the effects on human health and the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem stemming from BP and the federal government’s widespread use of the dispersant Corexit in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The interview with GAP lead investigator Shanna Devine runs from 27:00-41:00 in this podcast of the online radio program, aired on May 1. And Rachel Maddow on MSNBC did a good segment on BP that included an interview with journalist and author Mark Hertsgaard on the Corexit story.

On April 19, 2013, GAP released Deadly Dispersants in the Gulf: Are Public Health and Environmental Tragedies the New Norm for Oil Spill Cleanups?  Conclusions from the report strongly suggest that the dispersant Corexit was widely applied in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon explosion because it caused the false impression that the oil disappeared. In reality, the oil/Corexit mixture became less visible, yet much more toxic than the oil alone.

Earlier posts:

Corexit: Deadly Dispersant in Oil Spill Cleanup

“Inside Story” on BP’s use of Corexit to “clean up” Gulf oil blowout disaster