Sick fishermen keep silent

CNN ^ | 6-2-10 | staff

[mlizzy]

A fisherman's wife speaks out against BP, saying the oil is making fishermen sick. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen reports.
(Click video to view.)

[HamiltonJay]

Could be, or it could just be long term inhaling of hydrocarbons... Long term exposure to the stuff causes respiratory problems.

[Minus_The_Bear]

[NEMDF]

HIPPA also does not prevent hospitals from releasing generalized statements as to the symptoms they might be seeing and treating, or from talking in hypotheticals about what they might expect to see in people working with the oil cleanup.

[worst-case scenario]

Yes, it all looks very impressive. Too bad they didn’t try this 4 weeks ago, when they finally admitted just how bad the gusher was? (They had to - analysis of the size of the spill reaching the surface proved their figures were wrong.) And they aren’t doing it out of noble motives.

Their first and primary goal is to keep this well in production - NOT stopping it. So they have tried things in order of what makes it easiest for them to resume oil production, NOT what will save the area. It makes sense, from a business model. After all, their stockholders are most concerned with production and earnings. A permanently sealed well produces no refineable crude.

They are also doing everything they can to avoid incurring additional costs. So they will deny that anyone got sick, that they were responsible in any way, that they disregarded orders and warning, that economic interests of the people living on the Gulf were affected, and if so, how badly. Hayward still denies there is a “plume” of oil underneath the surface.

If they didn’t work so hard to stop this gusher, what would be the result? Both their shareholders and the US government would revolt, and BP would probably be placed in receivership.

Yes, they are more expert than us. So we “have to trust them”. That is exactly what got us into this hellhole to begin with - trusting that they knew what they were doing and could handle it! So I do not trust them anymore. They will have to show me they can cap this - which they haven’t done year.

And then they will have to clean up after themselves - which may be impossible. The contaminated salt marshes are dead for a generation if past spills in similar environments are any predictor.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/05/100513-science-environment-gulf-oil-spill-cap-leak/

Slant drilling, which would be used to drill relief well, is nearly impossible at these depths. The leak could go on for years. You may trust them now, even admire them now. But once I started reading about this a bit more, especially from writers familiar with the business, I realized just how bad this is.

And how BP has royally screwed us.

[PIF]

Benzine, touline at all are very strong when raw crude is released into the atmosphere and as such extremely toxic to humans. These guys are geting first hand wiffs while working hard drawing deep breaths.

Of course they are sick... until the lighter stuff evaporates they are all in danger. Naturally, no one told them, since they are only commercial fishermen and of no account.

[a real Sheila]

HOW and WHY does BP have ALL of the power in this situation?!!!

[a real Sheila]

But HOW is the use of dispersants actually HELPING this particular situation?

It would seem the oil would be easier to clean from the surface rather than in large, thin, toxic clouds floating many feet down and spread out even more under the sea. Seems like it would kill a lot more animals too.

[Tunehead54]

Good call on the BTEX - If I was up there I’d just go to a newsie and ask BP where their compensation office is located. BP says they’ll cover all the damages - like most anybody a fisherman is one week away from being broke - if they can’t go out they should be compensated now. IMHO. ;-)

[worst-case scenario]

Well they have power at the site of the well, because it’s their project, and they have the lease. They have power via their lawyers to bring down injunctions and slap suits to quiet people. They have billions and billions of dollars so they have friends in high places and bottomless pockets to pay people.

The Feds have plenty of power too. They could even seize the company and put it in the hands of other drillers who’ve got experience sealing major gushers.

Why hasn’t Obama done that? No, all he’s done is roll out Eric Holder, who said that all the agencies are investigating BP for breaking all those laws he listed yesterday- tons of environmental ones, too. The Coast Guard is handling a lot of cleanup. They had to recall all the 125 commercial fishing boats they’d hired out to help with the cleanup when the illness reports started.

Litigation forever. Yeah, all the lawyers are rubbing their hands in anticipation.

[jacquej]

Watch for the long term consequences, like Parkinson’s, cancer, etc.

This is beyond comprehension.