These people are Criminals!

[Miss*Bijou]

.​

This is absolutely criminal! These people (BP) are criminals and absolutely evil. Who ever is at the top should be treated and punished as negligent and murderous criminals!

Are they really going to get away with the all of the deceit, deaths & destruction that is going to affect people and animals for years to come?


It's disgusting, I don't know how these people live with themselves!

BP dispersants 'causing sickness'

Investigation by Al Jazeera online correspondent finds toxic illnesses linked to BP oil dispersants along Gulf coast.



Two-year-old Gavin Tillman of Pass Christian, Mississippi, has been diagnosed with severe upper respiratory, sinus, and viral infections. His temperature has reached more than 39 degrees since September 15, yet his sicknesses continue to worsen.

His parents, some doctors, and environmental consultants believe the child's ailments are linked to exposure to chemicals spilt by BP during its Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.

Gavin's father, mother, and cousin, Shayleigh, are also facing serious health problems. Their symptoms are being experienced by many others living along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.



Widely banned toxic dispersants

Injected with at least 4.9 million barrels of oil during the BP oil disaster of last summer, the Gulf has suffered the largest accidental marine oil spill in history. Compounding the problem, BP has admitted to using at least 1.9 million gallons of widely banned toxic dispersants, which according to chemist Bob Naman, create an even more toxic substance when mixed with crude oil. And dispersed, weathered oil continues to flow ashore daily.


Naman, who works at the Analytical Chemical Testing Lab in Mobile, Alabama, has been carrying out studies to search for the chemical markers of the dispersants BP used to both sink and break up its oil.

According to Naman, poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from this toxic mix are making people sick. PAHs contain compounds that have been identified as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic.

..

"The dispersants are being added to the water and are causing chemical compounds to become water soluble, which is then given off into the air, so it is coming down as rain, in addition to being in the water and beaches of these areas of the Gulf," Naman added.


"I’m scared of what I'm finding. These cyclic compounds intermingle with the Corexit [dispersants] and generate other cyclic compounds that aren’t good. Many have double bonds, and many are on the EPA's danger list. This is an unprecedented environmental catastrophe."

Gruesome symptoms

"I started to vomit brown, and my pee was brown also," Matsler, a Vietnam veteran who lives in Dauphin Island, said. "I kept that up all day. Then I had a night of sweating and non-stop diarrhea unlike anything I’ve ever experienced."

He was also suffering from skin rashes, nausea, and a sore throat.


At roughly the same time Matsler was exposed, local television station WKRG News 5 took a water sample from his area to test for dispersants. The sample literally exploded when it was mixed with an organic solvent separating the oil from the water.

Naman, the chemist who analyzed the sample, said: "We think that it most likely happened due to the presence of either methanol or methane gas or the presence of the dispersant Corexit."

..

"We have dolphins that are hemorrhaging. People who work near it are hemorrhaging internally. And that’s what dispersants are supposed to do..."

..

"Given this evidence, it should be no surprise that solvents are also notoriously toxic to people, something the medical community has long known," Dr. Ott added.


"In 'Generations at Risk', medical doctor Ted Schettler and others warn that solvents can rapidly enter the human body. They evaporate in air and are easily inhaled, they penetrate skin easily, and they cross the placenta into fetuses. For example, 2- butoxyethanol (in Corexit) is a human health hazard substance; it is a fetal toxin and it breaks down blood cells, causing blood and kidney disorders."


Pathways of exposure to the dispersants are inhalation, ingestion, skin, and eye contact. Health impacts include headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pains, chest pains, respiratory system damage, skin sensitization, hypertension, central nervous system depression, neurotoxic effects, genetic mutations, cardiac arrhythmia, and cardiovascular damage.

..

Wilma Subra, a chemist in New Iberia, Louisiana, recently tested the blood of eight BP cleanup workers and residents in Alabama and Florida. "Ethylbenzene, m,p-Xylene and Hexane are volatile organic chemicals that are present in the BP Crude Oil," Subra said,


"The blood of all three females and five males had chemicals that are found in the BP Crude Oil. The acute impacts of these chemicals include nose and throat irritation, coughing, wheezing, lung irritation, dizziness, light-headedness, nausea and vomiting."

Indications of exposure

Subra explained that there has been long enough exposure so as to create chronic impacts, that include "liver damage, kidney damage, and damage to the nervous system. So the presence of these chemicals in the blood indicates exposure."

Testing by Subra has also revealed PAHs present "in coastal soil sediment, wetlands, and in crab, oyster and mussel tissues."


Trisha Springstead, is a registered nurse of 36 years who lives and works in Brooksville, Florida.

"What I'm seeing are toxified people who have been chemically poisoned," she said, "They have sore throats, respiratory problems, neurological problems, lesions, sores, and ulcers. These people have been poisoned and they are dying. Drugs aren’t going to help these people. They need to be detoxed."


Chemist Bob Naman described the brownish, rubbery tar balls that are a product of BP's dispersed oil that continue to wash up on beaches across the Gulf:

"Those are the ones kids are picking up and playing with and breathing the fumes that come off them when you crush them in your hand. These will affect anyone who comes into contact with it. You could have an open wound and this goes straight in. Women have a lot more open mucus membranes and they are getting sicker than men. They are bleeding from their vagina and anus. Small kids are bleeding from their ears. This stuff is busting red blood cells."


Dr Ott said: "People are already dying from this… I’m dealing with three autopsy’s right now. I don’t think we’ll have to wait years to see the effects like we did in Alaska, people are dropping dead now. I know two people who are down to 4.75 per cent of their lung capacity, their heart has enlarged to make up for that, and their esophagus is disintegrating, and one of them is a 16-year-old boy who went swimming in the Gulf."

To read the entire article, click here.

 

[Big Dog Striker]

It's time those politicians and bureaucrats south of the border finally think about the people and not their self-interest. Like what California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told Diane Sawyer in his ABC News interview in his last few days in office before the November 2nd election; " The guys in Washington DC are WIMPS to Big Oil ".

 

[flipperdipper]

bad folks - it is all about the oil $$$$$

 

[jdtipper]

And yet they piss and moan about a few dead ducks....

Is rather a few ducks on a pond than an ocean full of creatures.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

And yet they piss and moan about a few dead ducks....

Is rather a few ducks on a pond than an ocean full of creatures.

You can't be serious! Not only is that offensive and ignorant.. As if the dead ducks are the only resulting damage we are going to see as a result of our greed and addiction to oil! It's just a small portion of the problem, a small piece of evidence of a much bigger ecological devastation we are going to have to witness.


One is no better than the other...it's all bad and going to get worse. We can't seem to realize -or won't acknowledge?- that all we're doing is just delaying the inevitable while we argue about which eco-system we'd rather destroy. And what happens when we run out of oceans life & wildlife to kill, of water to contaminate, of landscape to destroy, people to make sick, communities to displace and livelihoods to destroy in the process.... When there is no oil left, which is not all that far into the future btw, regardless of what we're willing to sacrifice or destroy to get it - what then?


That's the problem that's not going away. It's about a lot more than "pissing and moaning about a few dead ducks" and making a comment like that just shows how little thought and consideration you've put into the issue. That kind of attitude of denial, minimizing other species' value or denying their right to their natural environment and the arrogant belief that we can destroy anything that stands in the way of whatever it is we feel we're entitled to... that is what's at the root of all this non-sense. Get a clue.

 

[hayes]

None of it is good. But remember its filthy old Alberta keeps sending its filthy oil money and filthy agricultural money to Ottawa so it can be given Back to all the Province for transfer payments, so you can live the good life and complain about it!

 

[jdtipper]

Okay Miss Bijou,
Just what exactly are you doing to remedy the global dependence on petroleum? Please what have you come up with for us common folk to replace all petroleum products with? I sure hope your doing more than just preaching.

When it comes down to it...Big Oil will never fall. Ever.
But I am trying to do my part to minimize my dependence. Geothermal heating is going in next year, solar energy potentially a couple years down the road. Wood stoves instead of gas furnace now.

If you can't stand to see the world being stripped naked, you are on the wrong continent darling. Try heading for Papa New Guinea or somewhere of the like.

When I comes down to it we need oil. We can either strip or drill. Both have downfalls. But as seen with the Gulf, massive environmental damage can occur.
Whereas with strip mining.... a few birds and maybe some wildlife get pushed out of the way for a few years.


And what happens when we run out of oil?? I don't know, but ill be dead long before that happens. Maybe we will live on the moon by then.

And yes, we are at the top of the food chain.... we will destroy everything to make ourselves happy. And as long as the population keep producing that is what causes it to get worse.

 

[hayes]

There is more ducks and birds sucked into airplane engines everyday than was ever lost in Fort Mac.

 

[storm rider]

None of it is good. But remember its filthy old Alberta keeps sending its filthy oil money and filthy agricultural money to Ottawa so it can be given Back to all the Province for transfer payments, so you can live the good life and complain about it!

+1 to that.

Okay Miss Bijou,
Just what exactly are you doing to remedy the global dependence on petroleum? Please what have you come up with for us common folk to replace all petroleum products with? I sure hope your doing more than just preaching.

When it comes down to it...Big Oil will never fall. Ever.
But I am trying to do my part to minimize my dependence. Geothermal heating is going in next year, solar energy potentially a couple years down the road. Wood stoves instead of gas furnace now.

If you can't stand to see the world being stripped naked, you are on the wrong continent darling. Try heading for Papa New Guinea or somewhere of the like.

When I comes down to it we need oil. We can either strip or drill. Both have downfalls. But as seen with the Gulf, massive environmental damage can occur.
Whereas with strip mining.... a few birds and maybe some wildlife get pushed out of the way for a few years.


And what happens when we run out of oil?? I don't know, but ill be dead long before that happens. Maybe we will live on the moon by then.

And yes, we are at the top of the food chain.... we will destroy everything to make ourselves happy. And as long as the population keep producing that is what causes it to get worse.

+1 to that and a big thumbs up as well

SR

 

[chilli]

JDTipper and Storm rider are you both brain dead?

Try reading a post in context.

I know it's a difficult thing for people with limited intelligence to do, but try.

Anyways - the biggest joke was when that Republican Senator in the US got up and said we need to apologize to BP.

The whole thing is a joke.

We've known about the oil crisis since the 1970's when I remember my parents waiting for gas and seeing pictures on TV of cars lined up and down the streets.

40 years.

And nothing has changed.

But how can things change when we have dim wits like JDtipper and Stormrider among us?

 

[jdtipper]

Ahem....
okay ill admit I'm not the smartest guy out there....but your talking about an oil crises that's been ongoing for 40 years. I have to ask what planet you live on.
What oil crisis? We seem to have an abundance of it. Keep finding more everyday.

Now I wasn't even born in the 70s but last I checked we don't put oil In our fuel tanks. We do put a refined by-product of petroleum in our fuel tanks though. And the recent FUEL shortage was due to refinery issues....not lack of crude oil.

So please explain to me why exactly Storm Rider and I are dimwits.....

 

[Miss*Bijou]

So please explain to me why exactly Storm Rider and I are dimwits.....

Gladly. This is why:

What oil crisis? We seem to have an abundance of it.

Shaking my head. What planet do YOU live on?

Why do you think we're down to drilling offshore all over the place despite the fact that we already know how dangerous it is? Why do you think we're down to ruining our own backyard? Why do you think it is worth so much? Why do you think the US seems to have so much interest and concern for countries in the Middle East who just happen the have lots of it? Why do you think they start wars when they aren't getting their way? It's all about oil and how much of it we need to keep our economy going and how it would crumble without it. But people who are making money now, whether it's corporations, government or individuals, don't care about down the line, consequences, future problems or anything else beyond what's going on right now, that they are making money and what matters is making as much as they can.


That's the way things are done for all of the industries that rely on natural resources. Take the fisheries example and you've got the same pattern and shortsighted attitude. We've seen it occur with specific species of fish that we've knowingly over-fished to the point of collapse, the many other species that are currently at critical points and about to suffer the same unless we stop fishing them so they can have a chance, and then be serious about keeping our fishing quotas at a sustainable level once they've recovered. We knew collapse was imminent yet still went ahead, just like we're currently doing the exact same for a bunch of species and are on our way to a complete collapse of all of the species of fish... complete collapse....within less than 50 years. This will obviously mean no money AT all for those same people and corporations who right now are making their living while at the same time being those who are responsible for overfishing. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot much?!


Why? Because they only see money right now and because we have the illusion that there is endless fish in the ocean for us to remove at our will, it doesn't seem urgent so it's ignored.



The fact that you can still go and fill up your SUV may give the impression that the supply is endless and there's no problem but the fact is that like everything else on this planet, there is not a magical bottomless pit of endless oil solely for our taking. No, we're not running out tomorrow or the next day but we ARE running out... that's not negotiable, it's just a fact. But if we just chose to pretend the supply is not going to dry up, and we keep going the way we have without worrying about a solution, what is the plan, then?


Just ignore it until years down the line we really are at the point of running out and just wait until then to just figure out a plan on how to live without oil? How much notice do you think is reasonable? A couple months? A year? That's ridiculous. Why in the world would you think that would be a wise way to avoid preparing for the inevitable? What do you two suggest? Got any more of a plan than a +1 Storm rider? Do you two suggest we just cross our fingers until we can't possibly ignore it any longer and then finally admit there's a problem? That we wing it at the 11th hour and miraculously avoid the complete collapse of our economy? Sounds like a great movie but we're not in Hollywood so please join us in reality.

 

[Miss*Bijou]

And most of all, 100% of the world seems as clueless as Bijou. While she espouses the "evil empire" of petroleum, she forgets that British Colombia produces just 50% of it's food and is a net importer of food and oil. Where does all that food in the Robson Street Safeway come from? Or where does the metal for those electric buses in urban Vancouver come from? Where are your condom's produced and how did they end up at the drug store in Vancouver?

I could go on forever but the reality is, the oil industry exists because Canada, the USA and Western Europe are energy gluttons that expect to live a certain lifestyle but can't actually "accept" where that lifestyle comes from. YOU are the problem. You blaming BP is like a drug addict blaming the drug dealers for their problems.

Rather than point a finger at the "evil bastards", take a clear look at yourself and how you live. If you're not living the 100 mile diet, you're nothing short of an energy glutton. Sorry, don't mean to upset the apple cart.

Well actually Dood, I am looking at the way I live. In case you haven't noticed, I've commented on more than one issue recently that has made me re-think my choices. No one is perfect and I'm not pretending I am but I think that it's a start to:


1) Acknowledge the problem(s)
2) Identify the causes
3) Start making changes gradually
4) Urge others to start the process.


Not too far down the future, we will not be able to just go to Safeway and pick up any kind of fruit or product from half way across the world. We are going to have to start thinking of other ways to do a whole lot of things. I'm not going to start listing them all, and it goes well beyond just oil, it applies to the way we do everything in our day to day life. What we are used to and what we do right now is almost entirely not sustainable.


As I said above, if it isn't a choice we make on our own and changes we make voluntarily, they will simply be made for us. There is NOT an endless supply of "insert whatever natural resource we use or consume" and not only are our consuming habits unrealistic, the population keeps growing and growing, creating a greater need for resources this planet is running out of.


With all due respect dude, I think your comments are not directed at the right person. I'm painfully not clueless about these issues.


My comment about the evil oil companies was for those at the top who made decisions without giving a shit who or what they destroyed. Those people ARE evil and criminals and that has nothing to do with oil or shortage, it has to do with greedy sociopaths.

 

[PhoneGirl]

Bijou - Have you seen Erin Brockovich (sp?) ?

 

[jdtipper]

Bijou,
I'm still waiting to hear what you are doing to solve the problem at large. All I hear is more preaching....


I've stated what I'm doing to minimize my dependence.

As far as destroying our backyard..... can you see Ft MAC from your balcony? Don't think so.Hell even when I'm F.M. I can't see the devastation.
Have you seen the areas that have been reclaimed? Hmm its almost like nothing ever happened.

But yes it is a non-renewable resource.
Why dont these activists and greenpeace whiners switch their efforts of 'warning' us of the evils, to researching and developing ways for us to change our dependence to another source of energy??

It's easier to bitch and complain than to actually develop and produce.

As far as BP adding chemicals to try and clean up the spill. They are doing what they need to do to get the job done.
Try and speed up recovery to please everyone or get blamed for not trying hard enough?

That 12 year old who swam in the Gulf after the leak....
if your that stupid, you deserve what you get.
It's survival of the fittest, darling.

I'm wondering, do you support these companies who inject steroids or hormones in their product for it to grow bigger, faster? You shop at Safeway....so yes you do.

Look at what our food has done to us....we are mutating faster than nature wants us. Example you women. How old was your mom when she started developing? 15, 16 , older. Now what 10, 11?
Men too, some of these kids nuts are dropping in elementary or junior high.
Well all except that little Bieber Bastard.... the jury is still out on what it is.


Oh as far as the US having interest in middle east oil....you are wrong.
Bush family and friends had interest in oil overseas. They had a puppet for a president and a country of morons to support the decision.
They pushed the right buttons and pulled the right strings to get what they wanted.

 

[Tugela]

"The dispersants are being added to the water and are causing chemical compounds to become water soluble, which is then given off into the air, so it is coming down as rain, in addition to being in the water and beaches of these areas of the Gulf," Naman added.

That statement proves that he has no idea what he is talking about.

 

[Tugela]

Amazing contrast between the American handling of the Gulf Oil Spill by BP and the Brazil Oil Spill by Chevron. The same company operated the Oil Rig in both cases.

Brazil has stripped the executives of the companies involved of their passports. They aren't permitted to leave Brazil.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/18/world/americas/brazil-oil-spill/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill

Brazil had a spill of 3,000 gallons - - - the BP spill was 4.9 million gallons.

That is a prelude to an extortion attempt though

 

[Tugela]

No. Brazil has a huge Tourist Industry and they are just making it very clear that they don't want their beaches coated with Oil.

No, its the prelude to an extortion attempt.

 

[vancity_cowboy]

That is a prelude to an extortion attempt though

No. Brazil has a huge Tourist Industry and they are just making it very clear that they don't want their beaches coated with Oil.

it's both... either way, fine or extortion, brazil gets the message across - no pollution of their beaches

it's just that being treated like a criminal for a while has a much more long-lasting effect on the executives than a 'cost of doing business' fine

 

[juniper]

So what changes in your (very) urban life are you making, what personal changes, Bijou, other than alerting us other urbanites about environmental crises? I'd be interested.