The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has quietly released the list of ingredients of the chemical dispersant being pumped into the Gulf of Mexico by British Petroleum. The release came following weeks of complaints from Congress and the public about the secrecy behind the more than one million gallons of dispersant which has been pumped into the Gulf to date. BP is pumping 15,000 gallons a day of the patented chemical brews known as COREXIT 9500 AND COREXIT 9527 into the Gulf of Mexico.
The ingredient list appeared on the section of the EPA website dedicated to the oil "spill" (more like a volcano) at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico 50 miles offshore the coast of Louisiana.
The list includes 1,2-Propanediol ; 2-butoxy-ethanol ; 2-sulfo-Butanedioic acid, 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester, sodium salt (1:1); Sorbitan, mono-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate; Sorbitan, mono-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) derivss.; Sorbitan, tri-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) derivs; 2-Propanol, 1-(2-butoxy-1-methylethoxy)- ; and Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light.
Although some ingredients in the list had been publicly know, others, including the sodium salts were not.
Nalco, the company which manufactures COREXIT, responded by posting a list of "common day-to-day" uses of the chemicals in question. That list includes skin cream, body shampoo, emulsifier in juice, Baby bath, mouth wash, face lotion, emulsifier in food, Body/Face lotion, tanning lotions, Wetting agent in cosmetic products, gelatin, beverages, Household cleaning products, Air fresheners.
The independent watchdog group OMBWatch cites the New Jersey Department of Health to point out possible dangers of one of the the ingredients. The document indicates 2-butoxy-ethanol: "may be absorbed through the skin; should be handled as a CARCINOGEN--WITH EXTREME CAUTION; can irritate the skin and eyes with possible eye damage; can irritate the nose and throat; can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. can cause headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, and passing out and may damage the liver and kidneys."
The dispersant is widely considered more dangerous to human health than the oil itself, and several clean-up workers exposed to the dispersant have been reported as coming down with health problems.
Comments
where did you get the idea it's "widely considered" to be more toxic than the oil itself? There is no basis for that claim other than hysteria and unsubstantiated rumor. Most environmental organizations have said it's less toxic than the oil. I don't like it being in the ocean in these quantities, to be sure. But please don't stretch the truth. Please see the video entitled "Dispersants 101" on Youtube at the NRDCflix account. NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) states at 0:50 in that video (which this Examiner page won't allow me to link) that oil is worse though either one is not good for us.
Hysteria and unsubstantiated rumor? Do you work for BP or Nalco?
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