NIH’s toxic report on BP oil spill

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a toxic report confirming what people living with illnesses from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill along the Gulf Coast already knew, but were told, even to the point of intimidation, to keep quiet about it. Volunteers were exposed to a substance known as Corexit, used in clean up of oil from the coastline for three-plus months; and some allegedly being threatened not to talk about their illnesses, according to the Bellona.org website. NIH’s clinical-language report, published without much notice in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, conclusion was no surprise. The Government Accountability Project, a watchdog group, documented reams of symptoms in interviews with cleanup workers. In 2015, the University of Alabama at Birmingham proved Corexit – manufactured by Nalco Environmental Solutions - could damage human lungs and the gills of fish and marine life. The commonality of most 47,000 residents was that they had worked as clean-up volunteers. In 2015, the University of Alabama at Birmingham proved Corexit – manufactured by Nalco Environmental Solutions - could damage human lungs and the gills of fish and marine life. BP settled with the U.S. government for $20B. In months after the spill, BP offered a one-time payment of up to $20,000 for people in the affected communities. There was only one string attached: They couldn’t sue BP in the future. Most of those interviewed by the Bellona.org website took the payment. (Source: Maritime Executive 09/25/17)