April 18, 2024
Fourth Installment of BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster Report Reveals Terrifying Consequences of Cleanup Chemical Corexit
WASHINGTON – Today, Legal Director Tom Devine and Environmental Investigator Lesley Pacey released a report on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill entitled, “Deep Impact: Ongoing Vulnerability in Oil Spills from the Deadly Dispersant Corexit.”
The report, released just before the 14th memorial of the oil disaster. features nearly two dozen new affidavits from whistleblowers including cleanup workers, residents, journalists, medical personnel, filmmakers, BP contractors and an EPA official. As a whole, they reveal the devastating long-term and ongoing effects of oil and toxic chemical dispersants on their bodies and the environment.
Today, victims of the 2010 BP spill – almost all of whom were denied personal protective gear – are suffering from multiple chemical sensitivities, dermal outbreaks, chronic respiratory conditions, neurological issues such as neuropathy, short-term memory loss and Alzheimer’s, kidney pain and kidney failure, infertility, birth defects, ocular and sinus conditions, tumors and various cancers. Many have died.
This report features sections on the effects of Corexit exposure, BP’s priority of profits over people and its history of environmental crimes, the continued pollution of the surrounding area, the denial of justice for victims, and the cases of retaliation against whistleblowers. Also included is the story of John Maas, the only plaintiff so far to win his chronic health case against BP. Through her own supplemental report, the world’s leading expert on oil spills and chemical dispersants, Dr. Riki Ott, provides an analysis of the new EPA rules governing dispersant use and lays out the next steps needed to delist Corexit dispersants.
Environmental Investigator, Lesley Pacey, commented:
“Our brave whistleblowers paint a vivid picture of a tragedy made exponentially worse by the unprecedented use of toxic chemical dispersant. I have met many cleanup workers who suffer from horrific health symptoms or who have died from various cancers. It is heartbreaking. The truth tellers in this report – all of whom experienced health issues due to Corexit exposure – expose hidden aspects of the disaster and how BP covered up and downplayed the unfolding health harm – a harm that continues today due to the oil and dispersants that remain offshore, on beaches and in nine household landfills. Next steps include working with Riki Ott and Senator Edward Markey to delist Corexit dispersants once and for all due to disinformation and health dangers. The gut-wrenching stories of health harm in our report serve as evidence that we must remove dispersants from the EPA’s list of oil spill remediation methods.”
Government Accountability Project Legal Director, Tom Devine, commented:
“The EPA’s new rule calls for a two-year review before removing toxic dispersants but allows an immediate ban if the industry lies to the public or the chemicals severely threaten the public. This is a test of the rule’s credibility, because Corexit is not a close call on either count. BP has insisted the chemical is as safe as dishwasher soap, when their own documents confirm they knew the opposite. With our latest two dozen affidavits, over 80 citizen whistleblowers have created a People’s Record about destroyed lives and medical nightmares from which they can’t wake up. It is past time for the government to hold BP accountable for 14 years of Big Lies.”
Contact: Andrew Harman, Director of Communications
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 202.926.3304
Government Accountability Project
Government Accountability Project is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection organization. Through litigating whistleblower cases, publicizing concerns and developing legal reforms, Government Accountability Project’s mission is to protect the public interest by promoting government and corporate accountability. Founded in 1977, Government Accountability Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C.
###