NOAA Admits Toxic Corexit Dispersants May Be In BP Gulf Oil Spill Seafood

Posted by Alexander Higgins – July 16, 2010 at 2:18 am –

I originally wrote about an investigation into the safety of Gulf seafood that raised some shocking concerns on July 2nd.

I followed up on that with a warning from CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta who warned us that contrary to the Government’s claims no one can assure as that Gulf seafood is safe.

Today at a congressional hearing NOAA admitted that the neurotoxin pesticide Corexit that BP has used to disperse the Gulf oil spill may be in Gulf seafood and that the organization really does not care to much about testing for it.

During the hearing NOAA also admitted that unlike previously reported that the toxic dispersants bioaccumulate in the food chain.

Here is a transcript of the start of video below retrieved from Florida Oil Spill Law.

Rush Transcript Excerpts (Apologies for all caps)

Senator Lisa Murkowsi (R-AK):

HAVE YOU DETECTED ANYTHING THAT IS NOTICEABLE OR REPORTABLE IN THE SEAFOOD THAT YOU’VE BEEN TESTING?

Larry Robinson, assistant secretary of Commerce for oceans and atmosphere/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA):

OUR SEAFOOD TESTS ARE MORE ALL — IT’S WHAT IS DISPERSED ON OUR PROTOCOLS ARE NOT SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT DISPERSANTS OR THE BYPRODUCTS OF DISPERSANTS.

Senator Murkowski:

ARE YOU INTENDING TO DO THAT [testing seafood for dispersants]?

NOAA Assistant Secretary:

I THINK THAT WOULD BE AN EXCELLENT THING TO CONSIDER BECAUSE WE’RE LEARNED FROM THIS SITUATION THAT THERE ARE OTHER POTENTIALS HERE, PERHAPS EVEN FROM BIOACCUMULATION OF DISPERSANTS AND THEIR BYPRODUCTS INTO SEAFOOD. SO THAT’S SOMETHING WE HAVE ON OUR LIST OF THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT.

Senator Murkowski:

IS FDA TESTING THIS… ARE THEY TESTING FOR DISPERSANTS?

NOAA Assistant Secretary:

I DON’T THINK THE PROTOCOLS, PRESENTLY CALL FOR THE TESTING OF SEAFOOD, WITH REGARD TO SEAFOOD SAFETY WITH REGARD TO DISPERSANTS OR BYPRODUCTS.

IT’S REALLY THE OIL THAT WE’RE — AND THE OIL BIPRODUCTS THAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR IN SEAFOOD AT THE MOMENT.

Picking up the transcript where the the previous transcript left off.

Senator Murkowski:

Then how can we give the consumer the assurance that the seafood that is coming from the Gulf in these waters is safe for consumption?

NOAA Assistant Secretary:

The evidence that we presently have is that the dispersents are broken down rather quickly and biodegrades fairly quickly.

Rather quickly? I don’t consider the reported 28 days it takes to break down to be fairly quickly.

NOAA Assistant Secretary:

We don’t know with absolute certainty senator that there are no traces of dispersant in seafood.

Our tests, however, looking at the more toxic agents in seafood focused on the oil and the oil by products.

More toxic? Corexit is far more toxic than oil and so is the arsenic that scientists are sounding the alarm is on the rise in the Gulf of Mexico because of the BP Gulf Oil Spill.

In fact a fisherman merely splashed with Corexit sufferred from rectal bleeding and G4 has reported that Corexit is eating through boat hulls as well causing damage to internal organs.

Senator Murkowski:

I understand that but it seems to me that we have got an issue here where we are not certain.

I mean the administrator was not able to tell me with certainity wether or not that we consider these dispersants as pollutants if they get into that food chain at whatever level.

Seriously, NOAA will not even admit that Corexit is a pollutant. Amazing.

Senator Murkowski:

Are we testing for this?

It sounds like at this point in time, NO.

We are looking for the oil products on the fish, that’s one thing most certainly.

But it would seem to me as we to the reasearch on the effectiveness on these dispersants and the trade off YOU HAVE to consider the impact to our fisheries, to mariculture as a whole when we are looking at this.

I want to be able to give a level of assurance that whether your are eating wild Alaska salmon from Prince William Sound or wether you are taking it from the Gulf that the dispersants have not had an impact on the safety.

So if we are not testing for that I would certainly hope that we be doing that now, yesterday.

That is something, a level of assurance, that we need to be able to provide the consumer and give them that certainty.

These dispersants, the purpose of them, is to disperse the oil quickly.

If we have dispersed the oil but we have replaced it with another substance that has toxicity levels that impact that seafood that is something that we all need to be concerned about.

Special thanks to Erika Biddle

http://trueslant.com/oshagraydavidson/2010/07/16/more-douche-baggery-from-bp/

I try to cover BP press conferences via phone, but I wasn’t able to dial in to this morning’s technical briefing (conveniently held at 5:30 AM PDT time). Following company advice, I called BP’s Houston press office for an update.

I was transferred to BP spokesman Tony Odone.

Here’s the exchange, taken from my admittedly rough notes made while we talked.

——————————————————————————–

Me: Can you tell what the pressure is currently in the well integrity test?

Odene: I don’t know. Why would you want that?

Me: Isn’t the pressure reading the most important information from the test?

Odene: Yes.

Me: Well, that’s why I want to know.

Odene: [BP spokesman] Kent Wells said at this morning’s briefing the pressure was 6,700 psi.

Me: OK, so at the time of the briefing it was 6,700 —

Odene: — No, he announced at the briefing that the pressure was 6,700.

Me: The pressure reading was taken when?

Odene: At some point before the announcement.

Me: But you can’t tell me what it is now?

Odene: (Incredulous) Look, we are not about to give a minute-by-minute update on what the pressure reading is!

Me: What about hour-to-hour, since it’s so important?

Odene: (growing more petulant): It does…not…have….any significance. A team of experts is looking at it and interpreting it. Why do you want to know?!

Me: At the briefing, Wells said to call this number if we have any questions before the next presser, so that’s what I did. I’m trying to get an update.

Odene: A pressure reading will be announced at the next press conference, at 2:30. (CDT — four hours from this point.)

Me: But nothing until then.

Odene: (Steely, now) We will give you the information when it is necessary.

Me: What determines when it’s necessary?

Odene: When we feel it is required. Are you an engineer?

Me: No, I’m a reporter.

Odene: Well, you will get the information as it is required.

Special thanks to Osha Davidson

http://www.floridaoilspilllaw.com/shock-water-sample-exploded-when-chemist-tested-for-oil-most-likely-methane-or-corexit

July 17th, 2010
Share102TOP1K48retweetKids playing in water found to be 221 parts per million oil and walking in sand that is 211 ppm; Normal is ‘none detected’

News 5 Investigates: Testing The Water, WKRG Channel 5 Mobile/Pensacola, July 16, 2010:

More than a week has passed since Alabama’s beaches have seen significant oil… [S]ome swimmers are taking their chances.

News Five collected samples of water and sand from Orange Beach, Gulf Shores, Katrina Key and Dauphin Island. To our eyes, the samples appeared normal…
Newscast Transcript Excerpts:

“When testing for oil… how much would be normal on the beach?”

[Bob Naman, analytical chemist said,] “I wouldn’t think you’d find very much on the beach. there’s no real ‘normal’ amount. normal is ‘none detected.’”… a chemist with nearly thirty years of experience… he wouldn’t expect to see any more than 5 parts per million of the greasy stuff…

Gulf Shores beach water, right where people were swimming, showed 66 parts per million. The sand, where beachgoers are walking, has 211 parts per million.

[Another] sample was a spot in Orange Beach, where again, we found kids playing. and we found our highest content of oil and petroleum. 221 parts per million. …

When Naman added an organic solvent to separate the oil from the water [collected at Dauphin Island Marina, near some boom], just like he did with all the other samples, this sample exploded right in his lab. “It was almost instantaneous. Actually, maybe one second. that’s just weird.” The result surprised even our chemist.

“We think it most likely happened, either due to the presence of methanol, or methane gas. or the presence of the dispersant, Corexit.”

Even if you don’t see oil on the beach or in the water… chances are it’s there. All of our tests from orange beach to Dauphin Island showed an abnormal presence of oil…

News 5 will [again attempt to] test that water [which exploded] for chemicals, specifically chemicals linked to the dispersant… Corexit.

Special thanks to Erika Biddle

From: Audubon of Florida
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:00:02 -0500 (CDT)

Tell Your Friends Send this message to friends and family members. Tell them to help Florida’s birds and wildlife too.

Special Session to Ban Drilling in State Waters

Call on Florida’s Legislature to Let the People Decide

We were all thrilled yesterday with news reports that the BP Deepwater Horizon oil well has been capped. Yet hundreds of millions of gallons of oil are still awash in the Gulf and we need to focus on long-term protection for Florida’s beaches.

Join us in Tallahassee on Tuesday to Ask Legislators for a Constitutional Ban on Drilling in State Waters.

Governor Charlie Crist has called a special session of the State Legislature to craft a permanent ban on oil drilling in state waters and place it on the ballot in November. Crist has proposed amending Florida’s constitution to make our nearshore waters off limits for oil production.

Conservation groups are organizing a Hands Across the Capitol event at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in Tallahassee. Hands Across the Capitol is an extension of Hands Across the Sand. Join us in Tallahassee and then meet with your legislators to urge them to give the people of Florida the power to protect our beaches, ecology and economy.

Tell Your Representatives to Let the People Decide: Amend Florida’s Constitution to Permanently Ban Drilling in Florida’s Waters.

Some legislators argue that Florida already has a ban in general law. Unfortunately, this ban can easily be overturned with legislation. In fact, for the last two years, a coalition of advocates for Florida’s coastal environment and economy have only narrowly staved off the attempts of the oil industry and certain legislators who would open Florida’s nearshore waters to oil drilling.

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster makes it clear that the time has come to permanently ban oil drilling in Florida’s jurisdictional waters. We can act right now to make our beaches safer. Click here to write to your legislator today and come to Tallahassee on Tuesday.

Let’s make sure a Gulf oil disaster never happens again in Florida by permanently banning oil drilling in our state waters. We can win this fight so our children don’t have to.

Bring Your Passion to Tallahassee

Find your state legislators’ info so you can schedule an appointment.

Special thanks to Richard Charter

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1219829320100712

Seafood, tourism industries feeling pain of spill
* Groups plead their cases before presidential panel on oil (For full spill coverage link.reuters.com/hed87k)

Mon Jul 12, 2010 3:40pm EDT

By Alexandria Sage

NEW ORLEANS, July 12 (Reuters) – Sal Sunseri’s P&J Oyster Company has worked Louisiana waters since 1876, making it the oldest operating oyster processor in the United States.

But the future is grim, he told a presidential panel on Monday, due to the devastating BP Plc (BP.L)(BP.N) spill that has been gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico since late April.
“Due to this unnatural catastrophe in our water, P&J may forever be extinct,” he said.

Sunseri, who has laid off 11 workers, was among a group of speakers from the fishing, seafood and tourism industries sharing stories of loss with the seven-member commission investigating the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Keith Overton, chairman of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, said tourism operators across his state were already suffering even though tar balls had been found only on the Florida Panhandle in the north.

At his company, TradeWinds Island Resorts near St Petersburg, calls from potential customers are down 25 percent, he said.

“These losses have occurred in our area without a single drop of oil reaching our shore,” said Overton.

He implored the panel not to overlook legitimate claims from businesses hit by a public misperception that all Gulf Coast areas should be avoided.

“I think our losses are going to be scrutinized. Give us the benefit of the doubt,” Overton said.

JOBS IN JEOPARDY

President Barack Obama set up the commission with an executive order in late May, a month after a rig drilling a well for BP, the Deepwater Horizon owned by Transocean Ltd (RIGN.VX)(RIG.N), sank after an explosion.

Eleven workers were killed and the damaged well has been spewing oil into the Gulf of Mexico from a mile (1.6 km) under the surface. BP is using a containment system to capture some of the oil and hopes to finally plug the leak by mid-August.

Michael Hecht of Greater New Orleans Inc, an economic development agency, warned the panel not to underestimate the damage of a moratorium on deepwater drilling sought by the Obama administration.

“The economic impact from the oil spill itself, however broad and long-lasting, will likely be dwarfed by the impact of the moratorium,” Hecht said.

A drilling freeze threatens 24,000 jobs in Louisiana alone, representing nearly $2 billion in wages, he said.

While commercial fishermen and seafood operators are at risk of losing their livelihoods and way of life due to the spill, the crisis is also hurting sport fishing.

That pastime supports a wide variety of small business, from bait and tackle shops to marinas, charter vessels, hotels, and gas stations, said Jeff Angers, president of the Center for Coastal Conservation, a group that advocates sport fishing.

“If the entire Gulf were closed to recreational fishing from May to August, the region would would lose … $1.1 billion and about 19,000 jobs,” Angers told the panel.

The spill has wreaked havoc on delicate coastal ecosystems, killing birds, sea turtles and dolphins and threatening the spawning season of fish.

Containment and cleanup have taken too long, said Sunseri of P&J Oyster, expressing a common complaint in the area.

“Our livelihoods have been drastically jeopardized,” he said. “I don’t see a future in the oyster business as it once was.”

(Editing by John O’Callaghan) Special thanks to Richard Charter