Chemical Dispersants Prove Toxic

The Observer 19th Aug 2013

“CHEMICALS used for cleaning up oil spills that have been linked to deaths in the United States are still being stored in Gladstone (Australia).

It follows the use of the agent Corexit 9527 in the emergency response to the Shen Neng 1 oil spill in the Great Barrier Reef off Gladstone in 2010.

But a spokeswoman said the agent would not currently be used in a spill response, as the chemical is no longer considered to meet Australian standards.

Its use was reviewed in 2011, and AMSA began destroying Corexit stocks.

But that was after 2000 litres of Corexit 9527 was used in the response to the 2010 Shen Neng 1 disaster.

Around the same time, more than a million litres of the same dispersant was used on the disastrous BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The toxic combination of oil and Corexit washed up on Louisiana beaches has been linked to a range of health problems, and even deaths.

Since then, Corexit products have been removed from the product list for the National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and other Noxious and Hazardous Substances.”

On the other hand, oil spill solidifiers have always been considered safe to use on open water as well as inland. PetroGuard-D is one of the original oil spill solidifiers and should be considered as a response tool for future oil spills.