We may finally have moved a step closer to getting help for sick cleanup workers as a new lawsuit targets both drilling companies and the makers of the dispersant used on BP’s oil. Boat owners, like commercial fishermen and charter boat captains, may also be closer to getting their vessels decontaminated, a task BP promised to undertake but failed to follow through on.
The Telegraph newspaper in the UK is among the outlets reporting on the lawsuit, quoting from the filing that “…some of these diseases and conditions may be immediately evident, and others can appear months or years later.”
The Telegraph also notes that the “…lawsuit alleges that 1.8-million gallons of chemical dispersants were injected into the Gulf of Mexico’s waters or spread over it. According to the claim, people have since fallen ill after coming into contact with the chemicals contained in the dispersant.”
Also of interest in these lawsuits is who gets named. This time, reports the Telegraph, the defendants are: “…the well’s co-owners Andarko Petroleum and Mitsui…[and] Nalco Holding, which made the dispersants used…”
Across the Gulf Coast, we see an increasing number of people getting sick, and the BP spill remains the prime suspect. As for boat owners, they not only face serious health issues, but many have discovered that their vessels are unusable because of contamination picked up during cleanup efforts.
Meanwhile, we’re seeing government “regulation” that borders on boosterism, and regulators are doing little to investigate the pervasive illnesses despite a long well-documented trail of evidence. Eventually, of course, the U.S. courts will sort out much of this – but the wheels of justice can grind slowly.
You can bet that once we gain better knowledge of what’s actually happening, and we will, the government officials who should have been advocating for the people instead of backing their industry cronies are going to be running for cover. It could be that BP executives are not the only ones who should be facing manslaughter charges.
See the Telegraph story here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/8420345/BP-hit-by-health-claims-over-Gulf-of-Mexico-clean-up.html
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