BRKG LOCAL EFFECTS REPORTED OF GULF OIL SPILL

[mslucky]

Don’t even get me started. I have watched this disaster unfold from the beginning. It breaks my heart.
I don’t even want to talk about it. So I have been trying to keep silent because it all hurts and just makes me mad.

I know some people think its being blown out of proportion: no big deal. I guess time will tell. And some aren’t even
paying attention. But some want to know what’s going on locally as far as the environmental and health effects.
So since this is an ongoing and developing situation, I’ve prefixed the title with “breaking” because each day should
have new reports. For that reason I hope to keep this as an ongoing thread.

Also, I have found a very good source of reports from Tulane University and the LA Bucket Brigade. As more become
aware that this resource exists, it will be very helpful. It is listed below the report of today’s oil smell reports.

Oil smell reported today in: numerous New Orleans locations; Diamondhead, MS; and Metairie, LA.

http://www.oilspill.labucketbrigade.org/reports?page=1

 

[sopo]

So very sad. It's just devastating.

 

[brokenwings]

It makes me sick to my stomach too, but we are going to have to deal with this. I appreciate the info. I want to be as informed as I can. This will devastate our country and oceans.

 

[mslucky]

Oil cleanup workers report illness

(clip) http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-oil-workers-sick-20100526,0,4604887.story

Some fishermen hired by BP to mop up the gulf spill report nausea and breathing troubles after contact with oil and dispersant.
A congressman calls for mobile health clinics to treat them.

To Riki Ott, a marine toxicologist who studied the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska, it's "deja vu.""What we saw with Exxon
Valdez was a parallel track — sick animals and sick people. Harbor seals were looking like they were drunk and dying … and
autopsies showed brain lesions.…What are we exposing these poor fishermen to?" Ott said.Some fishermen suspect that health
problems are going unreported because, with so much of the gulf closed to commercial fishing, unemployed shrimpers and oyster
men are grateful for the cleanup jobs."It an unwritten rule, you don't bite the hand that feeds you," said George Barisich, president
of the United Commercial Fishermen's Assn. in St. Bernard Parish, who said many fishermen have told him about feeling ill.

 

[mslucky]

Gulf oil spill is public health risk; environmental scientists warn
Pollution could do lasting damage to locals' health

(Clip)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/28/bp-gulf-oil-spill-pollution

Prolonged exposure to crude oil and chemical dispersants is a public health danger, environmental scientists warned yesterday…

BP's beleaguered chief executive, Tony Hayward, yesterday drastically scaled upwards his assessment of the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
"This is clearly an environmental catastrophe. There is no two ways about it," he told CNN. "It's clear that we are dealing with a very
significant environmental crisis and catastrophe." In an interview with the Guardian two weeks ago, he had described the oil spill as
"tiny" relative to the size of the gulf...

With no immediate end in sight, there were growing concerns over the effects on public health of a prolonged exposure to the oil as
well as to the more than 3,640,000 liters (800,000 gallons) of chemical dispersant's sprayed on the slick.

Environmentalists and fishing groups in Louisiana say prolonged exposure to the oil, in the form of tiny airborne particles as well as
dispersant's, could be wreaking devastating damage on public health…

Wilma Subra, a chemist who has served as a consultant to the Environmental Protection Agency, said there was growing anecdotal
evidence that locals were falling ill after exposure to tiny airborne particles of crude. Air quality data released earlier by the EPA
suggested the presence of chemicals that – while still within legal limits – could be dangerous. But Subra complained that the EPA was
not releasing all data it had gathered from BP."Every time the wind blows from the south-east to the shore, people are being made sick,"
she said. "It causes severe headaches, nausea, respiratory problems, burning eyes and sore throats." Long-term health effects include
neurological disorders and cancer.

 

[mt4design]

Thank you mslucky.

Please stay safe and if we can do anything to help, please let us know.

Mike

 

[Vicki]

My heart goes out to you. This is devastating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wZfnqn1G2U&feature=player_embedded

 

[Sysman]

Well, I'm in NJ, so I can't say anything. Not yet at least...

But if this disaster keeps going, and this damned mess gets around Florida and into the Atlantic, I may very well be beck here, posting "local effects"...

Let me just say, if anybody screws up the "Jersey Shore", you're going to see alot of very, very, very pissed off people. It may be a very different "culture" than the gulf coast, but "the shore" is a huge "way of life" for many people in this neck of the woods. Believe me, you haven't seen pissed like you'll see here, if... ... ...

 

[mslucky]

My heart goes out to you. This is devastating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wZfnqn1G2U&feature=player_embedded

Thanks for posting this.

 

[Countrymouse]

Thank you for starting this thread, MsLucky!

Maybe if enough folks will come forward and tell what's going on, enough folks will wake up to the fact that these reports are not just the "hysterical fearmongering" of a few, but actual true reports of what is happening. And maybe enough will get angry enough to raise a hue and cry that will be heard all the way through this country, and to Washington--so the .govs will get off their duff and either lead, follow, or get out of the way.

 

[mslucky]

Thank you mslucky.

Please stay safe and if we can do anything to help, please let us know.

Mike

Uh, I think there's been a slight misunderstanding here. When I said that I've
been watching this unfold from the beginning, I guess I should have said
"from a distance".

I don't live there. (ANYMORE) I evacuated for Katrina, lost everything and
relocated to Nevada.

So, to clarify-I've watched this unfold from the beginning (from a distance)
by watching TV, searching the Internet and reading many news reports from
various newspapers reporting on the local conditions.

 

[mslucky]

Depending on the direction the wind is blowing, seems to effect
where the oil is smelled at.

This thread just started today and the reports of oil smell came mostly
from New Orleans: but 3 days ago the reports were coming from Florida.

3 days ago an oil smell was reported from: Largo, FL; Palm Harbor, FL;
Gulf Breeze; Destin, FL; and Fort Pickens, FL.

 

[Rich30N90W]

I can confirm the thick smell is back in Metairie - fairly noticable last night, but pretty bad this morning so far - ugh. So far the AC Units do a good job of filtering out the effects, but if I have to sit in my own house and inhale WD-40 all day long, it's time to bail!

5 minutes of regular breathing outside, nose starts to itch, eyes slightly water - yea fun times

 

[Huntur]

You know... the oil situation is bad enough, but when they are allowed to spray the toxic chemical dispersants into this, it really burns me up. It's like the EPA has little to no say on this. They "ask" BP to stop using it. Where the hell is the leadership down there? And Thad Allen has his nose so dam far up BP's butt its disgusting. The whole situation is infuriating...

 

[mslucky]

LA Bucket Bragade Founding Director, Anne Rolfes, Testifies with the House Committee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife, Thursday June 10, 2010…

http://www.labucketbrigade.org/article.php?id=607
(Clip)

Both the short and long term impacts of the oil disaster in the Gulf are being exacerbated by BP’s conduct
in the weeks since the explosion. BP is not just failing to act but is taking steps that make the problems
worse both now and in the long term…

Many of the residents of the coastal communities are afraid to speak out on these issues for fear of repercussions,
including loss of employment from BP. This fear has been voiced repeatedly to me and to my co workers since April 20…

While BP insists that its air samples have shown no problems, this is at odds with workers’ experiences of falling ill
after breathing in chemicals. It is also at odds with news reports about hospitalized workers.

On Thursday, June 2nd my co workers Anna Hrybyk and Shannon Dosemagan spoke to a nurse who was stationing the
medical tent within the BP zone in Grand Isle, Louisiana. This nurse was part of the official parish response that was
advertised as the place that workers and others should go to if they experience health problems from the spill. The nurse
was incredibly frustrated. She had arrived on the scene to treat medical emergencies, and her equipment included IV’s,
suture stitching materials and more. She reported that all of this equipment was taken away from her by BP officials and
that she was left with only aspirin and band aids. She reported that BP is running its own Emergency Medical Service and
that the sickest people are being taken there and avoiding the parish emergency center. This is a concern for three reasons:
1/ BP has a vested interest in minimizing health concerns; 2/ People may not be getting the best care possible and 3/ The
company that has caused the problem is controlling the medical records and information. The health problems treated by
what the nurse called “BP’s EMS” may not ever be part of the public record.

 

[CelticRose]

"It an unwritten rule, you don't bite the hand that feeds you," [/B]said George Barisich, president
of the United Commercial Fishermen's Assn. in St. Bernard Parish, who said many fishermen have told him about feeling ill.

Yeah, that's the cold, sad and painful reality here: The very people who have had their businesses destroyed by this nightmare, now have no choice but to literally risk their health and likely their lives, trying to clean up the mess.

They're literally damned if they do and damned if they don't. And I doubt that when all is said and done, that BP will man-up and take care of their medical needs.

Just a little food for thought:

It took the government 20 years to accept the findings of the horrendous health affects of Agent Orange and then to do the right thing and provide care for all the vets affected by Agent Orange. It's also, as far as I know, the ONLY situation where the VA will provide care (medical and financial) for children of Agent Orange vets, born with spina bifida; as that was determined to be a cross generational affect of Agent Orange.

Anyone want to ponder not only the immediate affect on those directly affected by the chemicals being used to clean up this spill, but also the potential to affect children born to those exposed?

 

[mslucky]

Yeah, that's the cold, sad and painful reality here: The very people who have had their businesses destroyed by this nightmare, now have no choice but to literally risk their health and likely their lives, trying to clean up the mess.

They're literally damned if they do and damned if they don't. And I doubt that when all is said and done, that BP will man-up and take care of their medical needs.

Just a little food for thought:

It took the government 20 years to accept the findings of the horrendous health affects of Agent Orange and then to do the right thing and provide care for all the vets affected by Agent Orange. It's also, as far as I know, the ONLY situation where the VA will provide care (medical and financial) for children of Agent Orange vets, born with spina bifida; as that was determined to be a cross generational affect of Agent Orange.

Anyone want to ponder not only the immediate affect on those directly affected by the chemicals being used to clean up this spill, but also the potential to affect children born to those exposed?

 

[mslucky]

Geez, I need to learn how to post. I tried to reply to the last post
but my reply didn't show up.

And every time I post an article it doesn't post it formatted
like I originally had it.

Keep having to go back and reformat after its posted.

 

[mslucky]

Fisherman's Wife breaks the Silence

http://www.oilspill.labucketbrigade.org/reports/view/578
(Clip)
Venice, Louisiana (CNN) -- Kindra Arnesen's husband often calls while he's
out on a shrimping trip, so she wasn't surprised to hear her cell phone ring the night of April 29 while he was on an overnight fishing expedition.

However, this time, her husband, David, wasn't calling to tell her about the day's catch or to wish their children Aleena and David Jr. a good night.
He was calling to tell her he was sick, and the strange thing about it,
so were men on the seven other shrimping boats working near his...

Arnesen believes it was vapors from the oil and the dispersants from the BP
Gulf oil disaster that made her husband and the other shrimpers sick. She
says they were downwind of it, and the smell was "so strong they could almost taste it."

For several weeks, she hesitated to talk publicly about it. Like many fishermen
who can no longer fish in the Gulf, her husband has signed a contract to work
with BP to clean up the oil, and she doesn't want to bite the hand that puts
food on her family's table…

But now Arnesen, a 32-year-old "uneducated housewife" -- her words -- is
breaking her silence and is encouraging others in her community to do the
same... People don't want to talk. They're scared.

Arnesen says she is indeed scared that her husband will lose his job now that she's speaking out.

"Am I scared? Yes," she said. "Anything that ever starts, starts with one.
And if I have to be the one then I have to be the one," she says.

 

[mslucky]

This report has been verified and is from Slidell, LA Thursday June 10th.

The last 3 days there has been a smell similar to bug poison in the air.
I live in Slidell and am very concerned for my family's health. Everyone has
been having bad congestion, sore throats, and headaches. I am a mother
of 3 boys and have been keeping everyone in the house with the doors
and windows shut. I wish I had the money to get out of here.This oil spill is
effecting everyone.

 

[mslucky]

As of June 11th--
At least 679 birds, 220 sea turtles, and 30 dolphins have been found dead
since the Deepwater Horizon rig sank. This is just the beginning.

Most Oiled Birds and Marine life Die Uncounted


...Most oil struck birds and turtles will die alone and uncounted at sea
or buried in coastal wet lands, amid warnings the true toll from the Gulf
of Mexico spill may never be known...

"Historically, they estimate that 10% of birds are found," said Rebecca
Dunne, of Tri-State Bird Rescue and Research. "others sink or they're
scavenged."

http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/pets-animals/stories/most-oiled-birds-marine-life-die-uncounted

http://content.usatoday.net/dist/custom/gci/InsidePage.aspx?cId=theadvertiser&sParam=33772047.story

 

[nomifyle]

This report has been verified and is from Slidell, LA Thursday June 10th.

The last 3 days there has been a smell similar to bug poison in the air.
I live in Slidell and am very concerned for my family's health. Everyone has
been having bad congestion, sore throats, and headaches. I am a mother
of 3 boys and have been keeping everyone in the house with the doors
and windows shut. I wish I had the money to get out of here.This oil spill is
effecting everyone.

I live in Slidell and have congestion, cough and headaches but this time of year this isn't anything unusual for me. And I don't smell oil or anything unusual in the air and neither does DH and he has chronic bronchitis.

Judy

 

[nomifyle]

I can confirm the thick smell is back in Metairie - fairly noticable last night, but pretty bad this morning so far - ugh. So far the AC Units do a good job of filtering out the effects, but if I have to sit in my own house and inhale WD-40 all day long, it's time to bail!

5 minutes of regular breathing outside, nose starts to itch, eyes slightly water - yea fun times

DH works in New Orleans and Metairie and I keep asking him and he keeps saying he doesn't smell it. Sorry to hear you are having ill affects.

Judy

 

[eXe]

Geez, I need to learn how to post. I tried to reply to the last post
but my reply didn't show up.

And every time I post an article it doesn't post it formatted
like I originally had it.

Keep having to go back and reformat after its posted.

For the articles, do this.. copy and then paste into Notepad. It will remove much of the HTML formatting that news sites use PLUS its a whole lot simpler to edit in notepad, get it just the way you like, and THEN paste it into the reply box.

Its an old trick I have been using for years.

 

[blueridge]

One thing's for sure - there's no way any of this crap is good for any living (or even many NON-living) thing...


What's truly scary is the possibility - no matter how remote - that some kind of "high pressure" event could occur and release huge amounts of oil or ??? all at once...creating an unexpected outcome.

 

[mslucky]

Sunday, June 13th

Oil coming ashore Ft. Morgan, AL

http://www.oilspill.labucketbrigade.org/reports/view/764

 

[Usually Curious]

Fisherman's Wife breaks the Silence

http://www.oilspill.labucketbrigade.org/reports/view/578
(Clip)
Venice, Louisiana (CNN) -- Kindra Arnesen's husband often calls while he's
out on a shrimping trip, so she wasn't surprised to hear her cell phone ring the night of April 29 while he was on an overnight fishing expedition.

However, this time, her husband, David, wasn't calling to tell her about the day's catch or to wish their children Aleena and David Jr. a good night.
He was calling to tell her he was sick, and the strange thing about it,
so were men on the seven other shrimping boats working near his...

Arnesen believes it was vapors from the oil and the dispersants from the BP
Gulf oil disaster that made her husband and the other shrimpers sick. She
says they were downwind of it, and the smell was "so strong they could almost taste it."

For several weeks, she hesitated to talk publicly about it. Like many fishermen
who can no longer fish in the Gulf, her husband has signed a contract to work
with BP to clean up the oil, and she doesn't want to bite the hand that puts
food on her family's table…

But now Arnesen, a 32-year-old "uneducated housewife" -- her words -- is
breaking her silence and is encouraging others in her community to do the
same... People don't want to talk. They're scared.

Arnesen says she is indeed scared that her husband will lose his job now that she's speaking out.

"Am I scared? Yes," she said. "Anything that ever starts, starts with one.
And if I have to be the one then I have to be the one," she says.

I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. Why, oh why, are people risking their LIVES for their livelihood? Do they not have anywhere to go? No family? No friends?

We have sacrificed A LOT to work in ministry and I can tell you - from experience - that there is more to life than money.

 

[mslucky]

BP Coughs Up Another Drop of Air Quality Data: Not Reassuring

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/gsolomon/bp_releases_another_drop_of_ai.html

(Gina Solomon is a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council)

 

[mslucky]

Beaches turn black in Gulf Shores, Alabama

...As far as he could see Saturday afternoon, the white sand at the shoreline had turned black...

...Dark waves slapped the shore, as rust-colored sheets floated in the nearby water...

...Thousands of people lined Gulf Shores' beaches, but almost no one dared even put a toe in the water.
In an unprecedented day for oil in Alabama, large pools of black crude gathered on the shore.


http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/beaches_turn_black_in_baldwin.html

 

[mslucky]

Visualizing the BP Diaster

http://www.ifitwasmyhome.com/

 

[Barry Natchitoches]

I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. Why, oh why, are people risking their LIVES for their livelihood? Do they not have anywhere to go? No family? No friends?

For most of these fishermen, they have plenty of family and friends -- but they are all south Louisianians.


They are all in the same boat together -- sometimes literally.


They have spent their entire lives in the bayous of Louisiana. That is all they know. They are usually poor, money wise, but rich when it comes to family and friends. They are very similar to the character that Jimmy Stewart plays in the movie It's a Wonderful Life: monetarily poor, but surrounded by some of the best and most loyal family and friends to be found anywhere.


The problem in this case is that their family and friends are being hurt just as bad as they are, and ALL of their lives are being destroyed due to the same horrible oil spill at the same time.


Please pray for these families.

 

[mslucky]

Health Impacts Associated with the Dispersants Corexit 9500 and 9527 Being Used by BP
and Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil Flowing from the Deepwater Horizon Wellhead
[/FONT]
Compiled by chemist, Wilma Subra, of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network


In order to inform community members in the areas of impact of the BP Crude Oil Disaster
and fishermen and workers performing crude oil containment and cleanup activities, the health
impacts associated with the dispersants and the crude oil have been compiled by our
chemist Wilma Subra.

Human Health Impacts Associated with the Dispersants Corexit 9500 and 9527
BP has used and continues to use the dispersants Corexit 9500 and 9527 (1,100,000 gallons to date)
to disperse the crude oil on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico and disperse the crude oil near the wellhead
5,000 feet below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. The dispersants have the ability to increase chemical uptake in humans.

Pathways of Exposure
Inhalation
Ingestion
Dermal (Skin) Contact
Eye Contact

Health Impacts from Corexit Dispersants
Headaches
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Abdominal Pains
Dizziness
Chest Pains and Tightness
Eye, Nose, Throat and Lung Irritation
Decreased Lung Function
Difficulty Breathing
Respiratory System Damage
Rapid Breathing
Asthma Attacks
Allergic Reactions
Skin Irritation, Damage, and Sensitization
Hypertension
Damage to Liver and Kidneys
Central Nervous System Depression
Neurotoxic Effects
Damage to Red Blood Cells
Genetic Damage and Mutations
Reproductive and Developmental Damage
Immune System Damage
Cardiac Arrhythmia
Cardiovascular Damage
Increased Severity of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Human Health Impacts Associated with Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil
Pathways of Exposure
Inhalation
Ingestion
Dermal (Skin) Absorption
Eye and Skin Contact


Health Impacts from Louisiana Sweet Crude Oil
Absorbs through skin, lungs and digestive system
Headaches
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Dizziness
Confusion
Loss of Balance
Eye, Nose, Throat and Lung Irritation
Difficulty Breathing
Respiratory Impacts
Chemical Pneumonia
Skin Irritation and Damage
Damage to Liver, Lungs, Kidneys and Respiratory System
Central Nervous System Effects
Neurological Damage
Blood Disorders
Blood Cancer - Leukemia
Aplastic Anemia
Mutations and Birth Defects
Infertility
Immune System Damage and Suppression
Cardiovascular System Stress
Gastrointestinal Disturbance
Endocrine Disruption
Hormone Level Disruption
Immune System Damage
Nervous System Damage

http://leanweb.org/news/latest/health-impacts-associated-with-dispersants.html

 

[mslucky]

http://leanweb.org/news/latest/health-crisis-unfolding-in-the-gulf.html

Health Crisis Unfolding in the Gulf

 

[mslucky]

Oil Smell reported in Mobile and Fairhope, Alabama

 

[VesperSparrow]

Smelled it last night on the beach. It didn't smell like oil.
Like I said on another thread, it smelled like burning tires and burning wires and sulfur.

Girl I work with got in the water over around Orange beach last Sunday. Now she has a rash that looks like poison ivy rash.

Didn't need to warn her about swimming in toxic waste dumps anymore. I think that kinda sealed the deal for her.
I guess people just have to see it before they believe it.
Of course it doesn't help when the population are being told the waters are safe.
Another girl I work with said that her friends who live in Perdido said they could smell the 'oil' and feel a different texture of the water while they showered.

Not trying to cause a buncha brouhaha but just posting here what I am being told up front.
And BeePee can count on me to not EVER shut my mouth. I'd NEVER get hired by them because this is no time for secrets and bs.
Ain't enough money in the world that could suppress the truth out of my mouth on this. This is LIFE and DEATH we're talking about.

 

[ejagno]

Well, the effects have officially affected us adversly in a big way. DH was laid off this morning. He's not in fishing, shrimping or tourism. All businesses are being affected by this. No one wants to spend a penny outside of absolute necessities for fear of needing it to evacuate.

 

[Volleyball Granny]

Well, the effects have officially affected us adversly in a big way. DH was laid off this morning. He's not in fishing, shrimping or tourism. All businesses are being affected by this. No one wants to spend a penny outside of absolute necessities for fear of needing it to evacuate.

Well, hell. What are you going to do now?

 

[ejagno]

Off to experience new adventures and challenges.

We're gonna fill our boots, square our shoulders and hold our head high, courageous and proud as we have faith that God would not bring us to this if he didn't plan on seeing us through this. At least that's what I'm going to keep telling myself. LOL

 

[Brutus]

Well, the effects have officially affected us adversly in a big way. DH was laid off this morning. He's not in fishing, shrimping or tourism. All businesses are being affected by this. No one wants to spend a penny outside of absolute necessities for fear of needing it to evacuate.

Sorry to hear it, ejagno.

I'll remember y'all in my prayers.

 

[LittleYellowFlower]

Okaloosa Island & Destin

Oil has washed up on Okaloosa Island...the beach between Ft Walton Beach and Destin. Destin Pass is in the process o being closed.
That's where boats leave the intercoastal, Choctawhatchee Bay & Destin Harbor to go into the gulf...at Destin bridge.
The air now smells like "charcoal".
Tanks from the Horizon have been washing up in the area..and east of there..for almost a week.