Mystery illnesses plague Louisiana BP oil spill crews

~

Jamie Simon worked on a barge in the oily waters for six months following the BP spill last year, cooking for the cleanup workers, washing their clothes and tidying up after them.

One year later, the 32-year-old said she still suffers from a range of debilitating health problems, including racing heartbeat, vomiting, dizziness, ear infections, swollen throat, poor sight in one eye and memory loss.

She blames toxic elements in the crude oil and the dispersants sprayed to dissolve it after the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico about 50 miles (80 kilometers) off the coast of Louisiana on April 20, 2010.

BP Anniversary: Toxicity, Suffering and Death

The Gulf of Mexico oil disaster has caused the biggest chemical poisoning crisis in US history, experts say.

~

Less than a year after spill disaster, BP wants to resume drilling in Gulf Coast

~

The paper reported that BP has applied to resume drilling in July at 10 established points, in exchange for adhering to stricter safety practices and closer supervision.

Some outlets are reporting that a deal has already been reached, but government officials quickly shot the rumor down.

~

Oil Spill Washes Up On Louisiana Coast As New Drilling Authorized By Obama

~




Oil slick near Grand Isle, LA.

Yesterday, as the Obama administration “approved the first deepwater oil and gas exploration plan since last year’s Macondo oil well blowout,” “emulsified oil, oil mousse and tar balls from an unknown source were washing up on beaches from Grand Isle to West Timbalier Island along the Gulf of Mexico, a stretch of about 30 miles.”

New Oil Spill Update 3/23/2011

~

U.S. issues second post-spill drilling permit in Gulf of Mexico

~

The government has given BHP Billiton the second new permit to drill in the Gulf of Mexico since the British Petroleum oil spill, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said on Saturday.

Click to enlarge



~

Multiple independent lab tests confirm oil in Gulf of Mexico shrimp, crab and fish

~

The federal government is going out of its way to assure the public that seafood pulled from recently reopened Gulf of Mexico waters is safe to consume, in spite of the largest accidental release of crude oil in America's history.

In two separate cases, a toxicologist and a chemist independently confirmed their seafood samples contained unusually high volumes of crude oil and harmful hydrocarbons -- and some of this food was allegedly being sent to market.

~~