Internet Babel

A different perspective on some facts and figures relating to BP’s recent fire/oil-spill and similar events that weren’t BP related:

11:  The number of people killed in accident on oil-rig leased by BP.

15,000+: The number of people killed in accident at Bhopal plant owned by American company Union Carbide.

4: The number of presidential vists (so far) to sites affected by accident at BP.

0: the number of presidential visits to site of Union Carbide accident.

$1.6bn: Spent so far on BP clean-up operations.

Bhopal: No clean-up.

$20bn: Compensation fund established within 2 months by BP.

$470m: Compensation paid since Bhopal accident 20 years ago.

$45m: Compensation paid out by oil firm Trafigura to 30,000 victims of dumped toxic waste in Ivory Coast after a 4 year legal battle.

$7bn: Compensation paid out to families of 9/11 victims.

$2.6bn: Dividend from BP, cancelled through political and public pressure.

$1bn: Dividend paid out by Transocean, owners and operators of the ‘BP’ rig, approved one  month after the accident.

 Hmmm….

The information in this post was sourced, extracted and reproduced in good faith from Private Eye issue: 1265

This video and similar articles on the web cover some of the concerns expressed about the dispersant Corexit, including:

Corexit is a solvent primarily used as a dispersant for breaking up oil slicks. It is produced by Nalco Holding Company which is associated with various major oil companies. Corexit 9500, four times more toxic than crude oil, is one of the most poisonous dispersants ever developed, and is up to 20 times more toxic than other dispersants, and only half as effective.

Corexit EC9500A and EC9527A are neither the least toxic, nor the most effective, among the Environmental Protection Agency approved dispersants. They are also banned from use on oil spills in the United Kingdom. Twelve other products received better toxicity and effectiveness ratings, but BP says it chose to use Corexit because it was available the week of the rig explosion. Critics contend that the major oil companies stockpile Corexit because of their close business relationship with its manufacturer Nalco.

When Corexit 9500, with its 2.61 ppm toxicity level, is combined with the warm waters of the Gulf much of it will transition into a gaseous state that will be absorbed into clouds, to be released as toxic rain upon all of the Eastern United States.

We suggest you use this as a starting point for your own research.