Corexit
Corexit
Corexit was used in unprecedented quantities during the 2010
Ownership
Corexit was originally developed by the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey (SONJ) also known as Esso (phonetically derived from the acronym SO).[4] The company later merged with Humble Oil to form Exxon, which is now part of ExxonMobil.
In 2011, Corexit became the property of Ecolab, following a merger between Ecolab and
Use
Dispersants are mixtures of surfactants and solvents that are commonly used to break up floating oil slicks into small droplets, which are submerged underwater. This reduces shoreline accumulation but increases the amount of oil underwater. This also increases the surface area of the oil and, in theory, accelerates the destruction of oil by naturally occurring bacteria.[6] Dispersants are themselves a form of pollution that can be toxic to marine life, and the increased activity of bacteria from their presence can deplete oxygen in nearby waters, causing further harm to marine life.[6][13] There are important trade-offs that must be considered in their use, such as the relative level of toxicity of the dispersant versus the relative toxicity of the spilled oil, to ensure that dispersant use mitigates an oil spill rather than making the problem worse.[13]
Corexit products have been used in oil spill response activities since the late 1960s.[14] Early products in the line included Corexit 7664[4] and Corexit 8666. Corexit 9527 is one of the first modern concentrate dispersants and has been in use since the mid 1970s. Corexit 9500 was designed to replace Corexit 9527. In 2002, Corexit 9527 and Corexit 9500 were the only two chemical dispersants stockpiled in large quantities in the U.S.A.[15]
An estimated 2.5 million gallons of chemicals were used in response to the supertanker SS Torrey Canyon oil spill in the United Kingdom in 1967.[16] The incident harmed marine life and triggered the first significant international public discussions about chemical dispersants' toxicity including the costs and benefits of its deployment.[17][18]
1968–1988
In April 1968, 300 barrels of Corexit were shipped to the scene of the stricken tanker Esso Essen off the African coast.
In February 1969, following application tests in
In February 1970, Corexit was deployed by aircraft onto an oil slick leaking from the stricken tanker
1989–2015
Corexit 9580 was used during the 1989
More recently, Corexit has been used in
The use of Corexit is approved in the US by the
Of the eight European countries in the Bonn Agreement, France, Germany, and the Netherlands have provisions to use Corexit 9500 in an oil spill. Belgium and Norway do not have lists of approved dispersants, but Belgium has a stockpile of Corexit 9527. The UK and Denmark keep lists of approved dispersants and have not approved of Corexit. Sweden does not use dispersant at all.[37]
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Approximately one week following the incident, subsidiaries of BP formally requested Nalco Company (an indirect subsidiary of Nalco Holding Company) to supply large quantities of Corexit 9500. Corexit 9500 was listed on the U.S. EPA National Contingency Plan Product Schedule and authority and direction for its use was provided by responding federal agencies. Nalco immediately provided available quantities of Corexit and increased production to supply the product to BP’s subsidiaries.[38]
On May 19, 2010 the EPA gave BP 24 hours to choose less toxic alternatives to Corexit, selected from the list of EPA-approved dispersants on the National Contingency Plan Product Schedule,[39] and begin applying them within 72 hours of EPA approval of their choices; or, if BP could not find an alternative, to provide a report on the alternative dispersants investigated and reasons for their rejection.[40] BP took the latter option, sending its report the next day.[41] BP's response to dispersant alternatives was judged to be deficient by both the EPA and the US Coast Guard, requiring EPA to perform its own analysis on the relative toxicity of dispersants. Their peer-reviewed conclusions on August 2, 2010 found that Corexit 9500A was generally neither more nor less toxic than the other available dispersants, and that dispersant-oil mixtures were not generally more nor less toxic to test species than oil alone.[6] On May 26, the EPA told BP to reduce the use of Corexit by 75%;[42] surface use was prohibited unless a request for exemption in specific circumstances was granted, while subsurface use was capped at 15,000 gallons per day.[43] After May 26 daily average use decreased 9%, an average of slightly more than 23,000 gallons per day.[44]
On July 15, 2010, BP announced that it had capped the leaking well, and the application of dispersants by the response effort ceased shortly thereafter.[38]
The total used in the event was 1.84 million gallons of Corexit EC9500A and Corexit EC9527A, with roughly 58% sprayed from the air.[45]
Composition
Corexit 9527
At the beginning of the Gulf spill, the proprietary composition was not public, but the manufacturer's own
Corexit 9500
In response to public pressure, the EPA and Nalco released the list of the six ingredients in Corexit 9500, revealing constituents including
Toxicity
Corexit is banned in the United Kingdom due to concerns about possible adverse health effects on people using it.[54]
Prior to the 2010 Gulf spill, the majority of studies performed on Corexit tested for effectiveness in dispersing oil, rather than for toxicity.[55] The manufacturer's safety data sheet states "No toxicity studies have been conducted on this product," and later concludes "The potential human hazard is: Low."[56] According to the manufacturer's website, workers applying Corexit should wear breathing protection and work in a ventilated area.[57]
Compared with 12 other dispersants listed by the
Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse said the EPA was not prepared to responsibly authorize BP's use of Corexit, but did so anyway. He noted that manufacturers could nominate themselves to EPA's list of approved dispersants. Although they had to provide data on both efficacy and toxicity, there was no official toxicity limit to bar approval.[60]
Chemist
Nalco spokesman Charlie Pajor said that oil mixed with Corexit is "more toxic to marine life, but less toxic to life along the shore and animals at the surface" because the dispersant allows the oil to stay submerged below the surface of the water.
Corexit 9527, considered by the EPA to be an
Like 9527, 9500 can cause hemolysis (rupture of blood cells) and may also cause internal bleeding.[7] According to BP data, 20 percent of offshore workers had levels of 2-Butoxyethanol two times higher than the level certified as safe by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.[45]
During a Senate hearing on the use of dispersants, Senator Lisa Murkowski asked EPA administrator Lisa P. Jackson whether Corexit use should be banned, stating she didn't want dispersants to be "the Agent Orange of this oil spill".[67][68][69]
According to a NALCO manual obtained by GAP, Corexit 9527 is an “eye and skin irritant. Repeated or excessive exposure ... may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the liver.” The manual adds: “Excessive exposure may cause central nervous system effects, nausea, vomiting, anesthetic or narcotic effects.” It advises, “Do not get in eyes, on skin, on clothing,” and “Wear suitable protective clothing.” For Corexit 9500 the manual advised, “Do not get in eyes, on skin, on clothing,” “Avoid breathing vapor,” and “Wear suitable protective clothing.” Neither the protective gear, nor the manual were distributed to Gulf oil spill cleanup workers, according to FOIA requests obtained by GAP.[45]
A study of 247 BP oil spill clean-up workers released in September 2013 by the
Studies
Alabama researchers found that the dispersant killed plankton and disrupted the Gulf of Mexico's food web, noting that it is "like the middle part of the food chain has been taken away".[70]
In late 2012, a study from
A study released by
A 2012 study clearly suggests that Corexit is highly toxic to early life stages of coral.[77] From the paper, "Even at a low concentration (0.86 ppm) of oil-dispersant mixture diluted over 96 hours, most of the mountainous star coral did not survive".[78]
Studies from Florida showed toxic effects of the oil and Corexit mixture on phytoplankton as well as on larger species, including conch, oysters and shrimp.[79]
In 2012, researchers for the
Toxins in the Corexit–oil mixture (PAHs) were found to permeate human skin at an accelerated pace due to the presence of the solvent.[citation needed]
When oil is dispersed, it is distributed in three dimensions (in the water column) rather than just two (on the surface). USF scientists found that the untested undersea application of the dispersant created abundant oil plumes in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.[84][85] In 2013 it was reported that everywhere along the track that a plume had drifted, a massive die-off of benthic foraminifera was left in its wake.[86]
Effectiveness
According to the EPA, Corexit EC9500A (formerly "Corexit 9500") was 54.7% effective, while Corexit EC9527A was 63.4% effective in the dispersion of Louisiana
Reports from Florida scientists showed Corexit "may not have done its job properly" and that the dispersant "does not seem to facilitate the degradation of the oil" by oil-eating bacteria.
In December 2012, a study found that Corexit may have been unnecessary, because the leaking jet of oil at the wellhead had sufficient turbulence to disperse the oil without chemical dispersant.[90][91][92]
Litigation
In April 2012,
US District Judge Carl Barbier in December 2012 dismissed all claims against the manufacturer of Corexit, stating that such claims would become an "obstacle to federal law." Barbier held that Nalco did not determine how and in what quantities Corexit was administered during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.[95]
Criticism
EPA whistleblower
Marine toxicologist
See also
References
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{{cite news}}
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may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the liver
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External links
- Hertsgaard, Mark (April 22, 2013). "What BP Doesn't Want You to Know About the 2010 Gulf Spill". Newsweek. The Daily Beast.
- "Crude Solution" Australian 60 Minutes (August 18, 2013) on the health effects of Corexit
- "The 'mess' that oil made" Al Jazeera Inside Story on BP's use of Corexit during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
- EPA Whistleblower Accuses Agency of Covering Up Effects of Dispersant in BP Oil Spill Cleanup - video by Democracy Now!
- TED Talks video on toxicity of Corexit - Susan Shaw
- Nalco Oil dispersants Corexit product page
- Aerial Dispersant Delivery System (ADDS Pack) Dosage Rates
- U.S. National Library of Medicine: Hazardous Substances Databank – Corexit 9500 and 9527
- Oil Spill Treatment Products Approved for Use in United Kingdom