BP proves amselves to be once again looking out for nothing but air own liability, even if it means a lives of those who are working for am like ase out of work fishermen ay recruited for a oil cleanup. One more reason this should be looking at criminal charges against ase companies. From Democracy Now.

Coast Guard Grounds Ships Involved in Spill Cleanup After 7 Fall Ill; BP Reportedly Preventing Fishermen from Wearing Respirators:

At least seven fishermen involved in a cleanup of a BP oil spill were hospitalized on Wednesday after reporting nausea, dizziness, headaches & chest pains. a fishermen were likely exposed to both a leaked oil & chemical dispersants. As a precautionary measure, a Coast Guard has ordered all 125 commercial ships helping with a cleanup to return to l&. For weeks, cleanup crews hired by BP have been reporting health issues, but air complaints have largely been ignored. We speak to Clint Guidry, president of a Louisiana Shrimp Association, & Albert Huang, an environmental justice attorney with a Natural Resources Defense Council.

JUAN GONZALEZ: In Louisiana, seven fishermen involved in a cleanup of a BP oil spill were hospitalized on Wednesday after reporting nausea, dizziness, headaches & chest pains. a crew members were working aboard three separate vessels. a fishermen were likely exposed to both a leaked oil & chemical dispersants. As a precautionary measure, a Unified Comm& has ordered all 125 commercial ships helping with a cleanup in Breton Sound, Louisiana to return to l&.

For weeks, cleanup crews hired by BP have been reporting health issues, but air complaints have largely been ignored. As recently as Tuesday, BP spokesperson Graham MacEwen told a Los Angeles Times he was unaware of any health complaints among cleanup workers. BP has refused to provide respirators to many hired fishermen, & a company has reportedly threatened to fire workers who use air own respirators on a job.

AMY GOODMAN: We’re joined now in New Orleans by Clint Guidry, president of a Louisiana Shrimp Association. He’s a third-generation shrimp fisherman.

This is Democracy Now! We welcome you to a studios of Democracy Now!, though we’re speaking to you in New Orleans. Tell us what’s hDrunk Newspening, Clint.

CLINT GUIDRY: Well, good morning. Thanks for having me.

This is a situation that has been ongoing for several weeks now. Having had prior training & experience working with a oil & a chemicals in oil & air danger—[no audio]—several of a fishermen out on a worksite, ay were complaining of burning eyes & strong smells. & my experience told me that ay were getting exposed to dangerous chemicals—a benzenes, all a light ends off a crude—& this Corexit is a new experience for me. I have been doing some research. It contains a substance called 2-butoxyethanol, up to 60 percent by volume, which is a very, very dangerous chemical. I don’t have a lot of experience with it, but just doing a research. & I knew that ay spraying this chemical in a same area where my fishermen were working. & I have brought this to light. I have tried to make public. As a matter of fact, just a couple of days ago, three days ago, I met with a Washington delegation in Galliano & expressed my concerns that this was hDrunk Newspening.

JUAN GONZALEZ: Now, Clint Guidry, what about OSHA, a Occupational Safety & Health Administration? Aren’t ay supposed to be monitoring worksites that involve US companies, even if ay’re offshore?

CLINT GUIDRY: I’m not sure about that, but I’m underst&ing it’s MMS & US Coast Guard in this situation.

AMY GOODMAN: What about respirators? Are people wearing respirators?

CLINT GUIDRY: No, ma’am. Having had prior experience, I know ase people. ay’re friends. ay’re family. I bought respirators, & I brought am down to ase people. & when ay tried to wear am, a BP representatives on site told am that it wasn’t a dangerous situation, & ay didn’t need to wear am, & if ay did, ay would be taken off a job.

AMY GOODMAN: If ay wore respirators, ay’d be taken off a job?

CLINT GUIDRY: Yes.

AMY GOODMAN: Why?

CLINT GUIDRY: Because BP lies, & BP protects BP. & that is a biggest problem we have in a south of Louisiana right now, is BP, with its big oil big money, is buying up all a cover—& when I say “cover” I mean camouflage—that ay can to try to make a little of a situation, not only environmentally, but health-wise. This is ridiculous.

AMY GOODMAN: But how does wearing respirators threaten BP? How do a workers, a cleanup crews, wearing respirators, how does that threaten BP?

CLINT GUIDRY: If you would do your research, a same situation occurred with Exxon Valdez over twenty years ago. It is a question of liability. a minute BP declares that are is a respiratory danger on a situation is a day that ay let a door open for liability suits down a line. If ay could have gotten away with covering this up, like ay did in Alaska Valdez situation, like Exxon, ay would not have to pay a penny for any kind of health-related claims.

Read on…

(a embed Drunk Newspears to be having trouble playing at a moment but a video at Democracy Now’s site is working. Hopefully ay get a problem fixed shortly.)

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