More than a million gallons of oil-dispersing chemicals were dumped into the Gulf of Mexico following the BP oil spill of April 2010, and based on what was known about the products available at the time, it is probable that some of the dispersants contained cancer-causing ingredients.

 

According to a report prepared by Toxipedia Consulting Services and the environmental group Earthjustice, the dispersants on the market contained 57 chemical ingredients, including five associated with cancer, 33 associated with eye irritation, 10 suspected of being kidney toxins and 8 suspected or known to be toxic aquatic organisms. But it is unknown what exactly is inside each dispersant because companies keep such information secret for proprietary reasons.

 

What is known is that BP applied 1.84 million gallons of dispersant into the gulf, consisting of Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527, both of which are produced by Nalco. Earthjustice says that when mixed with Number 2 fuel oil, Corexit 9500 creates a substance that’s four times as toxic as Number 2 fuel oil by itself. The Corexit 9500/Number 2 combo also has been found to be highly toxic to silversides (an estuary fish) and the second least effective at dispersing South Louisiana crude oil.

 

In June 2010, Louisiana oystermen sued Nalco, accusing the company of permanently altering the seabed and food chain with the toxic ingredients of Corexit.

-Noel Brinkerhoff, David Wallechinsky

 

The Chaos of Clean-up: Analysis of Potential Health and Environmental Impacts of Chemicals in Dispersant Products (Earthjustice) (pdf)

Louisiana Oystermen Sue over Use of Toxic Dispersant in Gulf (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

BP Refuses to Allow Scientists to Test Oil Spill Samples (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

BP Oil Spill Cleanup: Is the Solution Now Part of the Problem? (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)