Oil cleanup crews report dizziness, nausea

[mhatrw]

Source: Toronto Star

Louisiana fisherman Gary Burris said he felt “drugged . . . it was like sniffing gasoline” after exposure to the gushing oil fouling the Gulf. BP has sprayed more than 800,000 litres of dispersant into the Gulf since an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig on April 20. George Barisich, president of United Commercial Fisherman's Association, dismissed the Coast Guard report as a “pack of lies” and said at least nine fishermen had been treated in hospital. Dozens more, he said, kept working although they were sick. “I warned them. I said this was dangerous and would sicken us. I asked them for respirators, gloves, plastic sleeves, and we're only getting them now from volunteer groups, not from BP.”

“These are the exact symptoms that you could expect from overexposure to crude oil and to the chemicals that are being used out on the cleanup,” said Riki Ott, a marine toxicologist and activist who worked on the cleanup in Alaska after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. The dispersants, she says, compound the health risks created by exposure to crude oil. “This is like throwing kerosene on a fire,” she said.

Several Louisiana fisherman have contacted her to describe illness ranging from sore throats to burning headaches and skin rashes. ...

By August, the oil would almost certainly get into the Loop Current that moves clockwise around the Gulf, said Larry Crowder, a professor of marine biology at Duke University. From there, it would take a week to 10 days before it got to the Florida Keys. A few weeks later, the Gulf Stream would carry it to North Carolina. Given the volume of oil building up in two months, “It could go anywhere,” he said.

Read more: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/816749--oil-cleanup-crews-report-dizziness-nausea

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“This is like throwing kerosene on a fire,” she said.

Interesting comparison considering that Corexit, the oil industry's favorite dispersant, is also known as "deodorized kerosene."

How many hundred of thousands of gallons of this poison will our "leaders" allow BP to dump into the sea in its attempt to disguise the size of the disaster and avoid any actual clean up of its mess?

[habitual]

1. must be something they ate! n/t

[RKP5637]

2. Yeah, BP's lines are so trite. BP needs to get a script writer to think up better lies for them. n/t

[BelgianMadCow]

3. the msds is sketchy at best - but has a couple VERY interesting things as well

http://lmrk.org/corexit_9500_uscueg.539287.pdf

"SKIN CONTACT :
May cause irritation with prolonged contact.
INGESTION :
Not a likely route of exposure. Can cause chemical pneumonia if aspirated into lungs following ingestion.
INHALATION :
Repeated or prolonged exposure may irritate the respiratory tract.
SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE :
Acute :
A review of available data does not identify any symptoms from exposure not previously mentioned.
Chronic :
Frequent or prolonged contact with product may defat and dry the skin, leading to discomfort and dermatitis.
AGGRAVATION OF EXISTING CONDITIONS :
Skin contact may aggravate an existing dermatitis condition."

link to described symptoms is pretty clear imho

"Exposure guidelines have not been established for this product"
...
"In event of emergency or planned entry into unknown concentrations a positive pressure, full-facepiece SCBA
should be used."
...
"No toxicity studies have been conducted on this product" (a lie by omission methinks - at least there is substance to the UK ban which was toxicity-based, i guess not to humans)

A pretty important question would be to what degree it vaporizes - I cannot interpret (as in - compare to other products) the 15.5 mm Hg at 100 °F, and oviously the q is also what that vaporisation is like when in seawater - I sure hope govt is collecting real hard data & protecting as required :-/

Anyone more knwoledgeable?

[KT2000]

4. MSDS sheets

are written by the legal department.
We must also realize that all of the msds's are predicated upon inadequate testing.
It is the will of those fearing liability to NOT have information so that the literature does not contain anything that would support a legal claim. Haven't you heard the phrase "we cannot find anything in the literature to support causation" That gets them off the hook.

The real test is found in those who are exposed to it - like those working in the gulf.

[northernlights]

5. I sucked at pressure in chemistry last year

I mean, I did fine in the class, but felt like I was in a fog the entire time.

I don't remember the math any more, but I just took a quick look at my text. I think temperature, atmospheric pressure and surface area will matter more than seawater. Plain H2O has only a slightly higher vapor pressure than COREXIT. It takes a lot of energy to break hydrogen bonds.

15.5 mm hg at 100F sucks. It's going to take a long time for that crap to evaporate. Maybe as it disperses over a wider area.... :(

[BelgianMadCow]

6. Thanks! I was looking the other way around though

meaning I was wondering how fumes could affect workers on the water or nearby.

I guess it sucks in any case - in or out of the water :-(

[northernlights]

7. the msds says how it can affect them...

All the workers in the area should be wearing respiratory masks, or carrying air to breathe, eye goggles and wearing protective gear on the rest of their bodies.



General ventilation is recommended.

RESPIRATORY PROTECTION :
Where concentrations in air may exceed the limits given in this section, the use of a half face filter mask or air
supplied breathing apparatus is recommended. A suitable filter material depends on the amount and type of
chemicals being handled. Consider the use of filter type: Multi-contaminant cartridge. with a Particulate pre-filter.
In event of emergency or planned entry into unknown concentrations a positive pressure, full-facepiece SCBA
should be used. If respiratory protection is required, institute a complete respiratory protection program including
selection, fit testing, training, maintenance and inspection.
HAND PROTECTION :
Nitrile gloves, PVC gloves
SKIN PROTECTION :
Wear standard protective clothing.
EYE PROTECTION :
Wear chemical splash goggles.
HYGIENE RECOMMENDATIONS :
Keep an eye wash fountain available. Keep a safety shower available. If clothing is contaminated, remove clothing
and thoroughly wash the affected area. Launder contaminated clothing before reuse.