Gulf Spill Dispersants Sickening Residents?

If there is anything that modern history has proven, it is the limits of human understanding. Every human solution seems to create new and interesting problems. The Gulf Oil Spill is no exception. While direct environmental damage appears to have been much lighter than the Exxon Valdeez spill, evidence is mounting that the chemicals used to prevent oil slicks - called "dispersants" - are ravaging the bodies of some residents.

Many of the chemicals present in the oil and dispersants are known to cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, kidney damage, altered renal function, and irritation of the digestive tract. They have also caused lung damage, burning pain in the nose and throat, coughing, pulmonary edema, cancer, lack of muscle coordination, dizziness, confusion, irritation of the skin, eyes, nose, and throat, difficulty breathing, delayed reaction time and memory difficulties.

Further health problems include stomach discomfort, liver and kidney damage, unconsciousness, tiredness/lethargy, irritation of the upper respiratory tract, hematological disorders, and death. Pathways of exposure to the chemicals are inhalation, ingestion, skin, and eye contact...

Since the onset of his symptoms, Doom has been dealing with ongoing internal bleeding, nose bleeds, bleeding from his ears, blood in his stool, headaches, severe diarrhea, two to five seizures per day, paralysis in his left leg and arm, and failing vision.

"A toxicologist that interpreted my blood VOC results told me they didn't know how I was alive," Doom explained. "My Hexane was off the charts, and I have 2 and 3 Methylpentane, Iso-octane, Ethylbenze, and mp-Xylene."

While I have great sympathy for those affected by this disaster, I will admit that I am shocked by the high number of people in this article who chose to go swimming in the Gulf during the disaster. Did they expect that there would be no consequences for swimming in seawater tainted by oil and chemical dispersants?

Not Again - Another Oil Rig Explosion

Since the Gulf Oil Spill, the Obama administration has been trying to impose a ban on deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico which judges have steadily stricken down. One has to wonder if that may now change since a second oil rig has exploded in the Gulf, about 200 miles away from the existing spill. The question is, are two explosions so close together in time an indication of a systemic problem with inspection/regulation? Or is it all coincidental?

Either way, I'm happy to see no one was killed by this explosion. But less happy to hear that oil slicks have been sighted by the Coast Guard.

Gulf Oil Spill drives Southerners to the Jersey Shore

It may have been inevitable as BP and the Federal Government have fiddled while the Gulf of Mexico has been fouled by the oil spill. Southern tourists who would normally vacation along the afflicted shores of the Gulf are seeking other destinations. And many are headed for the Jersey Shore. This is good news for New Jersey tourism, but may be extra-bad news for Gulf towns whose only real economy is serving tourists.

Local tourism officials can't provide hard numbers, but cars from Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and other states below the Mason-Dixon Line appear to be in greater supply at the Shore this summer.

"I'm hearing a lot more southern accents this year," said Susan Martin, a reservations manager at the Golden Inn in Avalon. "And I just love the sound of it."

There has been an increase in the number of Southerners booking rooms, Martin said. They don't say why they are coming, she said, but many have identified themselves as first-timers.

The newcomers are finding their way largely on their own, say those in the tourism industry. New Jersey this year eliminated its national multimillion-dollar Shore promotional campaign, leaving resort towns complaining even before the gulf disaster about their inability to compete with rivals such as Ocean City, Md.

Feds again stop Oil Spill efforts

The story of the Katrina debacle was a story of the Federal government falling over itself and failing to deliver. The story of the Gulf Oil Spill debacle is a story instead of the Federal government impeding local action. Over and over, local individuals, companies, and agencies try to stem the damage from the disaster. And over and over, a random Federal bureaucrat steps in to stop it for his/her own petty reasons.

The newest example is over sand dredging which the Fish and Wildlife Department has stopped for fear of the location of dredging. While I realize in isolation they are just doing their job, this shortsightedness is becoming endemic. It is time for the President - or some other high-ranking official - to step in and personally take responsibility for these snafus. We are past the point of "figuring out what is going on" and have run out of excuses.

Voters take note. This is one that can not be laid at the feet of George W. Bush. Vote accordingly in the mid-term elections. The Democratic Party deserves to lose their majority. The president has proven he needs someone to hold him accountable.