BP Oil Spill, BP Oil Spill Cleanup Workers BLOG POST
The Mass Study of Workers Affected by Oil Spills
The largest study of oil workers in history is currently being conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a division of the National Institutes of Health. In 2011, the NIEHS began enrolling individuals who were hired by BP Oil in 2010 for cleanup efforts following the massive oil spill caused by the Macondo blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. 33,000 individuals are now being monitored by the NIEHS for the next decade.
Unfortunately, this study is already showing signs of bias and does not include the vast majority of cleanup workers.
Cleanup efforts more harmful than the oil itself
A study released this past April by the Government Accountability Project (GAP), a leading whistleblower protection agency in the United States, concluded that Corexit, the dispersant used to contain the spread of the oil – and to minimize BP’s liability – is more toxic than the oil itself and has caused tremendous damage to human health and the environment.
The usual BP claims
BP has claimed that samples taken by their toxicologists and industrial hygienists to measure cleanup workers’ exposure to pollutants from the oil spill all registered at safe levels. The NIEHS claims that it will be going into far more detail by spending the next 10 years interviewing the workers personally and monitoring their medical records.
Our firm is dedicated to helping you obtain compensation for your personal injuries
The NIEHS study consists largely of telephone interviews, physical measurements, blood pressure, and the taking of blood, hair, toenail clippings and urine samples . However, the NIEHS study does not include the vast majority of the cleanup workers.
The study has since been closed to new entrants. Downs Law Group works diligently to assist people who have medical issues as a result of BP Oil Spill cleanup work. For more information, contact our office. All consultations are free, and we get nothing unless you obtain compensation.
