From
a UK advance chemical analyst:
"Yes
they did use something called COREXIT 9580 and are you saying this has
ethylene oxide?
If
so then this product is unequivocally lethal to man if it contains ethylene
oxide, that is.
It
is a cancer agent
-
as I said a child would realize this with any chemical knowledge -
it
is what is called an alkylator and these are all cancer inducing products.
You
need only 1ppm - to tell them to kick the stuff out if it leaked
is
to me like saying if you get a bullet through the head take it out and imagine
it never went in.
They
were honour bound to inform everyone of the nature of the chemical -
it
was known of well before 1989 of its hazards.
I
can't imagine who would even contemplate the industrial use of this
stuff.
But
then its in every hospital so perhaps I can!
What
happens to all the ethylene oxide when it has sterilized the instruments
- if
its burned ok, if its blown to the winds then its not ok."
These comments on
overviewing the spill:
The Exxon Valdez Tanker Spill:
Three phases of the response:
- Containment and recovery of oil
from the water.
- An effective response
requires the recovery of as much of the oil as possible before it spreads
and becomes more difficult to collect (see table below).
- Rapid removal limits damage
to wild life and other natural resources by minimizing contact with the
oil.
- Chemical dispersants
- effective use of this technology requires appropriate weather conditions
(must be energetic enough for mixing but not rough enough to hamper
application equipment), adequate equipment, sufficient quantities of
dispersant and the oil must be unweathered.
- Burning
- between 15,000 to 30,000 gallons were burned (less than 0.27%)
- Mechanical
- Emergency removal of oil from
the shoreline:
- Once oil began hitting the
beaches, a deluge of problems came into being. Effects on organisms did
not only come from the oil's toxic effects but also from its mechanical
effects: smothered animals and destroyed their thermoregulating
capabilities.
- Manual removal - shovels,
buckets and absorbent materials
- High-pressure hot water and
low-pressure cold water
Long-term treatment of oiled
shorelines:
- Began summer 1989 - many
untested technologies used
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Exxon -
requested permission to use Corexit 9580 M2 (kerosene-based solvent that
they hoped would lift oil from the rocks) - toxicity data sketchy
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- EPA - Inipol EAP-22 (oleophilic
liquid fertilizer developed by a French firm in response to the Amoco Cadiz
oil spill off the coast of France)
NOT
REALLY Inipol was developed by France. Exxon bought their
patent and added 22 more chemicals... thereby 'creating' a new product, Inipol
EAP 22, entirely an EXXON Product
"Not
sketchy - just too lethal to admit to!"