Senator Says Administration Should Invoke Imminent Harm Authority and Force Release of Confidential Information on Oil Dispersant Chemicals
With Thousands of Americans Suffering From 9/11-Related Illnesses, Nation Should Protect Responders in Gulf from the Same Fate
As British Petroleum (BP) dumps unprecedented levels of chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico to disperse the oil, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to use her legal authority to force BP to disclose confidential information related to the chemicals used in the dispersants. There are growing concerns over the confidential chemical make-up of the dispersant being used in the Gulf and its potential long-term health risk to workers in the clean-up effort and further damages to the local environment, on top of exposure to the oil.
“Reports from Gulf Coast emergency rooms, where response workers are being treated, have noted respiratory problems, as well as headaches and nausea,” Senator Gillibrand writes in her letter. “In my home state of New York, we are acutely aware of the long-term health effects of exposure to harmful and toxic substances in the aftermath of a crisis. Thousands of first responders, construction workers, and community members are suffering and some have died from contact with hazardous substances that were released into the area around Ground Zero in the aftermath of the tragic 9/11 attacks. In the case of the BP oil disaster, public disclosure of this chemical information would ensure these kinds of illnesses do not happen again to the workers and community members that are being exposed right now.”
Providing the public with detailed information about the chemicals that are being used in the clean-up would increase transparency and ensure that all necessary safety procedures are being taken and allow independent researchers to explore the long-term risk to clean-up workers and the environment.
Senator Gillibrand’s full letter to EPA Administrator Jackson is below:
June 4, 2010
The Honorable Lisa Jackson
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
Dear Administrator Jackson,
I am writing today to urge you to exercise imminent harm authority as Administrator in disclosing the confidential information related to the dispersants currently being used in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the British Petroleum (BP) oil disaster. President Obama has called the BP oil spill “the greatest environmental disaster of its kind in our history,” and the public is seeking greater transparency in addressing this catastrophe. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made some information about the dispersants available to the public, BP and Nalco, the manufacturer of COREXIT dispersants, have maintained secrecy surrounding these chemicals, and their health effects, prohibiting public access to critical safety information.
The unprecedented amount of these chemicals being used to fight the oil has turned the Gulf Coast into an experiment for the short and long-term effects of their massive use. In order to understand the impacts of their application, and protect the coast from more devastating damage, EPA must make public this essential information concerning toxicity, efficacy, and human health and ecological risks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention note that long-term human exposure to dispersants can cause central nervous system problems, or do damage to blood, kidneys or livers. Reports from Gulf Coast emergency rooms, where response workers are being treated, have noted respiratory problems, as well as headaches and nausea.
On May 24th, you expressed concern over the environmental unknowns of dispersants, which include the long-term effects on aquatic life. The use of these dispersants has raised questions about infiltration into the food chain as phytoplankton potentially ingests these chemical compounds.
Under Section 14(a)(3) of the Toxic Substance Control Act, the Administrator has the authority to disclose data if determined, “necessary to protect health or the environment against an unreasonable risk of injury to health or the environment.” Given the very serious health and environmental concerns associated with exposure to these chemicals, I believe it is essential that this information be made public without delay.
In my home state of New York, we are acutely aware of the long-term health effects of exposure to harmful and toxic substances in the aftermath of a crisis. Thousands of first responders, construction workers, and community members are suffering and some have died from contact with hazardous substances that were released into the area around Ground Zero in the aftermath of the tragic 9/11 attacks. In the case of the BP oil disaster, public disclosure of this chemical information would ensure these kinds of illnesses do not happen again to the workers and community members that are being exposed right now.
As we continue to witness the devastation that the Gulf Coast is facing, it is important that the process and efforts are transparent. Considering the long-term effects of this disaster on wildlife and coastal communities, it is vital that this information be made available to understand the full extent of this disaster and the clean-up efforts.
I thank you for your immediate attention to this request, and ask that you contact me or my staff if you have any further questions.
Sincerely,
Kirsten E. Gillibrand
United States Senator
