[THS] Dispersant BP is using in the Gulf Spill

[The Harder Stuff in news and commentary]

Secret Ingredients in Corexit Oil Dispersant Are Carcinogenic and Absorbed Through
Skin
BY ARIEL SCHWARTZ
http://www.fastcompany.com/1658530/epa-reveals-ingredients-in-corexit-oil-dispersant


Some of the worst fears about the dispersant BP is using in the Gulf Spill appear to
be justified.


When the EPA approved Nalco's Corexit to be used as an oil dispersant in the
Deepwater Horizon disaster last month, we were more than a little concerned--trade
secrets kept the exact ingredients of the product from being revealed, but safety
sheets reported that Corexit could cause vomiting, reproductive problems, and
headaches.

Now the EPA has released the list of ingredients, and it isn't comforting: Despite
Nalco's claims that Corexit is safe, biodegradable, and free of carcinogens, it happens
to contain substances that--you guessed it!--are dangerous, non-biodegradable, and
carcinogenic.

For example, there's 2-butoxy ethanol. Greenbiz lists the following warnings for the
substance:
2-Butoxy Ethanol can affect you by ingestion and may be absorbed through the skin.
2-Butoxy Ethanol should be handled as a CARCINOGEN--WITH EXTREME CAUTION.
Contact can irritate the skin and eyes with possible eye damage.
Inhaling 2-Butoxy Ethanol can irritate the nose and throat.
2-Butoxy Ethanol can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.
Exposure can cause headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, and passing out.
2-Butoxy Ethanol may damage the liver and kidneys.
We've seen 2-butoxy ethanol before: It was also used during cleanup operations for
the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil disaster.

In a recent interview with FastCompany.com, Exxon Valdez worker Merle Savage
described many of the symptoms listed above, including nausea, vomiting, liver
damage, and dizziness.

Cleanup workers at the BP disaster site are also reporting similar symptoms. The most
disturbing part: more effective and less toxic products have been around for years.
But changes may be coming. The Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families coalition urged
Congress today to act later this summer, by overhauling the Toxic Substances Control
Act.

That act governs many of the ingredients in dispersants, but it really doesn't "govern"
much at all: According to the coalition, the act grandfathered in 62,000 chemicals
without any safety tests. Since then, only a few hundred have been scrutinized, and
only five have been restricted.