Monday, March 5, 2012

BP Macondo Well Still Leaking, Seafood Dangerous, Animals Still Dying



The Saga of the BP Gulf Holocaust Continues Unabated

As BP seeks to reduce its liabilities, oil continues to seep in the Gulf of Mexico and animals continue to die. People's livelihoods and health have been destroyed.

Handling of the BP oil spill serves as the template for the Fukushima crisis response. 

Dahr Jamail from Al Jazeera reports: As BP pays billions in settlements, scientists are concerned about a persistent oil seep near the Macondo 252 well. 04 March 12


[excerpted] "As BP settles out of court for the first phase of thousands of lawsuits that could cost the company tens of billions of dollars, Al Jazeera has spotted a large oil sheen near the infamous Macondo 252 well.

In September 2011, Al Jazeera spotted a large swath of silvery oil sheen located roughly 19km northeast of the now-capped well.

But now, on February 29, Al Jazeera conducted another over-flight of the area and found a larger area of sea covered in oil sheen in the same location.

Oil trackers with the organisation On Wings of Care, who have been monitoring the new oil since mid-August 2011, have for months found rainbow-tinted slicks and thick silvery globs of oil consistently visible in the area...."

Majia here: read the article at the link above

The BP oil spill posed direct threats to human health, as documented by this research article that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association:

Health Effects of the Gulf Oil Spill Gina M. Solomon, MD, MPH; Sarah Janssen, MD, PhD, MPH  JAMA. Published online August 16, 2010. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.1254 http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/312-16/10275-bp-settles-while-macondo-seeps

[excerpt] "The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico poses direct threats to human health from inhalation or dermal contact with the oil and dispersant chemicals, and indirect threats to seafood safety and mental health. Physicians should be familiar with health effects from oil spills to appropriately advise, diagnose, and treat patients who live and work along the Gulf Coast or wherever a major oil spill occurs."

Majia here: Despite knowledge about the risks posed by consuming contaminated seafood, the US FDA failed to require adequate testing of chemicals in fish and shellfish:

STUDY:  Seafood Contamination after the BP Gulf Oil Spill and Risks to Vulnerable Populations: A Critique of the FDA Risk Assessment http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1289%2Fehp.1103695 

[excerpted] Background: The BP oil spill of 2010 resulted in contamination of one of the most productive fisheries in the United States by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs, which can accumulate in seafood, are known carcinogens and developmental toxicants. In response to the oil spill, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) developed risk criteria and established thresholds for allowable levels [levels of concern (LOCs)] of PAH contaminants in Gulf Coast seafood.
•Objectives: We evaluated the degree to which the FDA’s risk criteria adequately protect vulnerable Gulf Coast populations from cancer risk associated with PAHs in seafood.
•Discussion: The FDA LOCs significantly underestimate risk from seafood contaminants among sensitive Gulf Coast populations by failing to a) account for the increased vulnerability of the developing fetus and child; b) use appropriate seafood consumption rates; c) include all relevant health end points; and d) incorporate health-protective estimates of exposure duration and acceptable risk. For benzo[a]pyrene and naphthalene, revised LOCs are between two and four orders of magnitude below the level set by the FDA. Comparison of measured levels of PAHs in Gulf seafood with the revised LOCs revealed that up to 53% of Gulf shrimp samples were above LOCs for pregnant women who are high-end seafood consumers.

Majia here: Animal Deaths Also Occurred En Mass and Continue to Be Documented

Scientists link oil on dolphins to BP spill: Oil On Dead Dolphins In Gulf Linked To BP Spill, Scientists Say 4/8 By Leigh Coleman http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/07/us-oilspill-dolphins-idUSTRE7367OP20110407
 
BILOXI, Mississippi (Reuters) - Scientists confirmed on Thursday that they have discovered oil on dead dolphins found along the U.S. Gulf Coast, raising fresh concerns about the effects of last year's BP oil spill on sea life. Fifteen of the 406 dolphins that have washed ashore in the last 14 months had oil on their bodies, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists said during a conference call with reporters.

Majia here: XDrFox reports on Enenews about recent, confirmed animal deaths

Reports of dozens of stranded dolphins, whales, and sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico continue, NOAA To Mass Animal Death on Monday, February 27, 2012
http://members.beforeitsnews.com/story/1819/741/

Majia here: This is the playbook for the Fukushima Crisis.

1. Deny scope of disaster

2. Actively hide scope of disaster using all available means

3. Ignore and/or trivialize risks to human health

4. Deny, Marginalize and Trivialize any documented health and environmental impacts

5. Settle legal battles as cheaply as possible and declare disaster over despite ongoing health and environmental impacts



 

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