Gulf oil cleanup workers suffering from Oil Spill Syndrome

A story reported by AFP News this week reported on workers involved in the Gulf oil spill cleanup last year who are suffering from so-called "mystery" illnesses.

32-year-old Jamie Simon continues to suffer from vomiting, dizziness, racing heartbeat, memory loss, poor vision in one eye and swollen throat. She blames toxic elements in the oil and chemical dispersants used to break up the slick as the cause.

She worked on a barge cooking and cleaning for cleanup workers. Her BP supervisors told her the dispersants were as safe as Dawn dish soap and there was "nothing for (her) to worry about," she said.

51-year-old Andy LaBoeuf laid boom with his boat for four months and was paid $1,500 a day. He says he still has memory problems and a sore throat almost a year later.

415 cases of spill-related health problems have been reported by the state of Louisiana

Much like the China Syndrome became synonymous with Three Mile Island, Oil Spill Syndrome (OSS) comes to mind when describing the debilitating effects of the BP oil spill upon cleanup crews.

The symptoms of OSS include nausea, shortness of breath, rashes, headaches and chest pains. They are caused by exposure to oil and toxic dispersants used to break up oil spills such as the one in the Gulf of Mexico.

Even BP and Deepwater Horizon websites revealed that 32 air samples taken from where the responders were working showed the presence of butoxyethanol, which is classified as toxic by the EPA and is a component of the Corexit being dispersed by BP to break up the spill.

If you were involved in the BP cleanup and believe you may have the symptoms of OSS, consider seeing an experienced offshore law firm immediately.