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.

Painfully True

From here.

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.

Priorities

From here. On topic for Guys Night Out's discussions from last night.

The Gulf Oil Spill could still get worse

Take this one with a grain of salt, as it comes from a comment on a discussion board. But the reasoning seems sound and predicts that the broken oil well is more broken than we think and getting worse. The cusp of the argument is speculation that the break is not just at the head of the well, but that the actual pipes deep in the seabed are broken as well. This would mean the more done to cap the well, the more flow will simply come from the hidden leaks farther down the pipe.

Contrary to what most of us would think as logical to stop the oil mess, actually opening up the gushing well and making it gush more became direction BP took after confirming that there was a leak. In fact if you note their actions, that should become clear. They have shifted from stopping or restricting the gusher to opening it up and catching it. This only makes sense if they want to relieve pressure at the leak hidden down below the seabed.....and that sort of leak is one of the most dangerous and potentially damaging kind of leak there could be. It is also inaccessible which compounds our problems. There is no way to stop that leak from above, all they can do is relieve the pressure on it and the only way to do that right now is to open up the nozzle above and gush more oil into the gulf and hopefully catch it

How big is the Gulf Oil Spill *REALLY*?

This site lets you overlay the spill onto your own hometown or any address in the world. It is scary to realize just how large this thing has become.

President Obama's solution the the Oil Spill: More Taxes

There is a truism of government - you don't tax businesses, you tax their customers. Every tax placed on a business is passed along to customers in higher prices. So when a politician both claims "taxpayers will not pay for the BP cleanup" and that it will be paid with by higher taxes, be skeptical. Be very skeptical.

Lawmakers want to increase the current 8-cent-a-barrel tax on oil to make sure there is enough money available to respond to oil spills. At least 6 million gallons of crude have spewed into the Gulf of Mexico since a drilling rig exploded April 20 off the Louisiana coast.

President Barack Obama and congressional leaders have said they expect BP to foot the bill for the cleanup.

"Taxpayers will not pick up the tab," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Monday.

BP executives told Congress last week they would pay "all legitimate claims" for damages. But the government needs upfront money to respond to spills, as well as money to pay for cleanups when the responsible party is unable to pay, or is unknown. Money spent from the fund can later be recovered from the company responsible for the spill.

It is a good point that funds are needed for immediate work on the current spill. But we should all be aware this will mean higher prices at the pump for all of us. Especially heading into summer. Which will cause people to travel less, and depress the economy even more.