Ten years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, it is clear that not only has the health of the environment suffered tremendously, the health of the people who live and work in the Gulf Coast area is severely impacted. Those who are experiencing long-term illnesses related to the oil spill and their doctors are saying that it’s not always the spilled oil that has caused their severe health problems. Many of the health problems doctors are seeing in Gulf Coast residents ten years after the oil spill were caused by the chemicals used to clean up the oil spill.
One woman who started to experience health problems after coming into contact with the chemical product Corexit describes a ten-years-and-counting ordeal that began with blisters on her skin. Kidney and liver complications followed the rash, and scans of her brain show abnormalities. Ten years after she was exposed to Corexit, she feels tired all of the time and doubts that she will ever feel entirely well.
This woman is not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people have experienced health issues after being exposed to Corexit and other chemical dispersants. Some of those health issues are physical, and others involve the mental health of people who were exposed to spilled oil, cleanup chemicals, and the devastating economic impact of the spill. A rise in mental health concerns in areas impacted by disasters of any type is typical. The mental health impacts felt by Gulf Coast residents following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill are similar to the mental health effect that were felt by individuals impacted by other disasters. Increased incidences of depression, anxiety, and stress, and an increase in unhealthy behaviors like increased alcohol and drug use and domestic violence have been noted int he Gulf Coast region in the years since the oil spill.
Some of the increases in mental health impacts among Gulf area residents are caused by exposure to oil. Still, researchers say that we must not underestimate the adverse effects that the economic troubles caused by the oil spill have on mental health. Income loss connected with the oil spill has been linked to an increase in the development of mental health conditions. People who worked in the Gulf’s fish and shellfish industries have developed mental health concerns at an even higher rate than others who lost income from their work in oil production, tourism, and gas production in the years since the oil spill.
The disease-causing chemicals used to clean up the oil that spilled from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig are still in use today. What’s more, their continued use is permitted by law. Health and environmental advocates want the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remove Corexit and other chemical dispersants from the list of available solutions that can be employed in the event of an oil spill. They say that the dispersants do more harm than good, and health and environmental data that have been collected in the years since Deepwater Horizon support that conclusion.
To learn more about BP oil spill litigation, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (601) 790-1505, to arrange an initial consultation.
