Oil spill syndrome victims can seek legal justice

Now it’s not just cleanup workers taking legal action against BP for getting sick from exposure to oil and dispersant chemicals in the Gulf oil spill. Recreational fishermen are seeking justice for suffering from the effects of contamination as well.

Upon exiting his boat after fishing in Mobile Bay (Ala.) May 29th, Obie Carlisle of Axis came down with severe rashes, shortness of breath and nosebleeds and his attorneys say those symptoms have continued to the present day. They added that his doctors diagnosed him with chemical burns consistent with exposure to oil and chemicals.

Carlisle said his biggest worry is the long term threat of cancer.

For a few hours, Carlisle waded in the water while “flounder gigging.” There were no signs posted that warned of the threat of toxic exposure.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources reports that oil was first discovered in the Bay on June 1st and banned fishing altogether on the 4th.

Unlike most of the suits that have been filed in federal court, this one was filed in Mobile County Circuit Court. It alleges BP Plc and other companies with gross negligence in the operations on the Deepwater Horizon platform that exploded on April 20th.

Carlisle’s symptoms fall in line with those typical of Oil Spill Syndrome, which is the name commonly used to describe the effects of those who become sick from events such as the Exxon Valdez cleanup, where 6,722 cases of upper respiratory illnesses believed to be caused from chemicals used in the Gulf of Alaska were reported. In the first two months of the Deepwater Horizon crisis, 407 complaints about oil exposure were reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers. Over 100 complaints of so-called Oil Spill Syndrome were made in Louisiana, 78 of them coming from BP cleanup workers.

A spokesman for a medical facility near New Orleans said that 11 patients came to the ER since May 26 with reactions suspected to be from exposure to chemical dispersants used in the Gulf. Most of the patients stayed two to three days with symptoms including severe headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath and skin rashes.

The label for Corexit 9500, the dispersant sprayed by BP to break up the spill, has a warning to “avoid breathing vapor” and “wear suitable protective clothing” but workers were only provided a paper suit, said court documents. This exposure is complicated by the fact that workers have toiled in 110 degree heat indexes.

There have been several cases of behavior changes reported by cleanup workers, including depression.

Last month, a charter captain who had operated his boat under BP’s Vessels of Opportunity program took his own life with a gun shot.

Medical experts are concerned about the long term effects of chemical exposure. Will it cause kidney, lung and liver damage?

Just as the defoliant Agent Orange caused high numbers of cancer deaths among those exposed to it during the Vietnam War, will Corexit 9500 end up with the same skull and crossbones reputation years from now?

If you believe you are suffering from Oil Spill Syndrome and were inadequately provided with personal protective equipment (PPE), get medical attention immediately. Then consider seeking qualified offshore legal attention.

Source: Mobile Press-Register