We demand that Corexit and all chemical dispersants be banned in the U.S. and immediately removed from the National Contingency Plan for oil spill cleanup. We also demand that science, human health and environmental sustainability shape all future oil spill cleanup operations from this day forward. In addition, we expect all first responders and oil field workers exposed to chemical toxins be properly protected with adequate training and HAZMAT gear.

DURING the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the EPA allowed BP to spray an unprecedented quantity of chemical dispersant - over 2 million gallons of Corexit 9527A and Corexit 9500A - on the surface of the oil slick offshore and nearshore and in the deep sea at the ruptured wellhead. Despite scientific studies that proved otherwise, BP and the EPA maintained that the chemical dispersant was "low toxicity." But even before the 2010 disaster, Corexit had been banned in the UK because of its potential health effects to cleanup workers. People in the Gulf Coast region were told that Corexit was "as safe as Dawn Dish washing liquid" and an entire Gulf Coast population of cleanup workers, residents and tourists were exposed. Workers were even denied personal protective gear.

THEN people got sick by the thousands. At first, it was cold and flu-like symptoms, acute migraines, blood in the urine, tingling hands and feet or temporary paralysis, seizures, and skin lesions anywhere and all over the body. According to the Government Accountability Project (GAP), blood test results from a majority of project witnesses showed alarmingly high levels of chemical exposure - to Corexit and oil - that correlated with health effects. The health problems worsened over time. An estimated 95% of project witnesses reported that they continued to experience spill-related health problems after the BP cleanup, and more than 50% living in oiled areas reported that their children's and/or grandchildren's health had deteriorated, according to GAP. Select effects include respiratory system damage; neurological damage resulting in severe IQ loss and memory loss; heart palpitations; kidney and liver damage; multiple chemical sensitivity, including hyper-allergies to common household cleaners and processed foods, causing extreme weight loss; exhaustion and fatigue for even routine activities. More recently, GAP reported that victims also are experiencing chronic illness and diseases and various cancers. 

NOW a significant body of science, including long term clinical and epidemiological studies, have confirmed GAP's reports. Studies on humans and wildlife exposed to naturally or chemically dispersed oil consistently found molecular and cellular damage associated with diseases and cancers; organ dysfunction and systemic harm that compromise fitness, growth, reproductive potential and survival; and, in cases of high concentrations, causes multiple organ failure and death. Studies consistently found oil-dispersant exposures exponentially caused more harm than exposures to oil alone. 

STILL Corexit is the go-to plan for future oil spill disasters.

About Corexit: Corexit is a product line of dispersants that break crude oil into minuscule droplets under previously untested presumptions that breaking up the oil at sea would increase biodegradation and prevent oil slicks from reaching shorelines, estuaries, and other coastal waterways, with their fragile ecosystems and nearby human populations. Dispersants are an oil-based mixture of solvents and surfactants that are toxic by nature. For example, Corexit EC9527A contains a human health hazard, 2-butoxyethanol, and it warns on its safety data sheet that “repeated or excessive exposure to butoxyethanol may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the liver.”

After the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, the presumption that Corexit would prevent the oil from washing ashore was tested and found to be untrue. Unprecedented amounts of oil came ashore despite unprecedented use of dispersants. Biodegradation was hindered, communities of bacteria shifted to those tolerant of polluted environments like the human flesh-eating Vibro, and cascading effects released toxic red tides. The small oil-dispersant droplets under the water surface interacted with bacteria and/or minerals in the water to form “marine snow” and sank, transporting as much as 20% of the oil to the ocean bottom. Wind and wave action released the small oil-dispersant droplets into the air where they traveled longer distances and were able to penetrate more deeply into human lungs than larger droplets. The small oil-dispersant droplets coated sand grains and were visible only with ultra-violet light. Beachgoers, unaware of the danger, developed blister-like lesions on their feet, legs and bodies. Yet a court dismissed all claims against the dispersant manufacturer Nalco, completely shielding it from liability for the federal government’s use of its products. The federal government also absolved itself from liability. If dispersants are this dangerous to people and wildlife, then these toxic products must be banned.