Now approaching eight years since the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, clients still come to me with injuries related to their work cleaning up the Gulf Coast region. In 2015, BP agreed to settle all claims with the U.S. federal and state governments in a $21 billion settlement. Pursuant to that settlement, the company will pay out that amount over roughly twenty years. Recent payments have been substantial, with BP paying out $1.7 billion for the fourth quarter in 2017 and an anticipated payment of another $3 billion in 2018. The company’s spill-related payouts will rise to $3 billion in 2018 from an earlier estimate of $2 billion, while those for 2017 will remain at $5.5 billion.
An interesting March 6, 2018 article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune makes it clear that while the amount that has been spent thus far is tremendous, there are still many unknowns regarding who was injured, what injured them, and what is owed. Having experienced counsel help you attain your fair share of that settlement is critical if you were harmed. Barrett Law has the experience to help you through this process. Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.
I have posted the most interesting passages from the March 6, 2018 Times-Picayune article below about health problems suffered by Coast Guard members who worked on the spill response:
The nearly 2,000 Coast Guard members who reported exposure to oil dispersants suffered a range of illnesses — lung irritation, skin rash, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea — at higher rates than members who were not exposed to the chemicals or were exposed to oil alone, according to research by the Uniformed Services University, a Maryland health sciences and medical school run by the federal government.
“With increased levels of exposure there was a higher prevalence of reporting cough and shortness of breath, and more reporting of wheeze than non-exposed people,” said Jennifer Rusiecki, a USU researcher involved in two recent studies.
The people exposed to the dispersants were four times more likely to report shortness of breath and three times more likely to report skin rashes than their non-exposed counterparts, researchers found. They were also two times more likely to say they suffered bouts of coughing and digestive problems, including diarrhea and vomiting, Rusiecki said.
Exposure to oil has its own toxic effects, but most Coast Guard members took precautions to avoid contact. Few understood to that same degree that dispersants also could be harmful.
BP used two types of dispersant, Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527, both manufactured by Nalco Environmental Solutions, to break up the oil. Nearly 1 million gallons were dropped by air, and another 770,000 gallons were injected into the damaged wellhead about a mile under the water’s surface. It was the first time dispersants had been used on a large scale and in proximity to people. A USU study released in January noted that dispersants remain in common use after oil spills. “However, little is known about human health effects related to exposure,” the study says.
Crude oil exposure has been a major focus of health studies, but the effects of dispersants are only beginning to be understood, despite widespread reports of illness from coastal residents, fishermen and disaster responders exposed to dispersants during the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The combination of oil and dispersants on human health is also poorly understood.
I have linked to the full article below and encourage you to read it. In a nutshell, it looks like the oil dispersants used during the Gulf Oil Spill may be the cause of many of my clients’ chronic health problems. These are problems that deserve compensation.
What Should You Do If You Were Injured or Harmed By the 2010 BP Oil Spill?
If you were harmed as a result of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill or its cleanup, you may be due compensation for your losses. Hiring a general practitioner to handle a claim related to the spill is a serious mistake, as only an attorney with extensive experience in getting oil spill claims paid will represent your interests adequately.
Call Barrett Law now, an experienced Mississippi BP Oil Spill law firm, to represent you if you were harmed as a result of the Spill.
Barrett Law has the experience to take on defense attorneys that are focused on denying your compensation for the harm you experienced. Contact us now at (800) 707-9577.
