Gulf Oil Disaster: Life Time Health Hazard

Gulf Coast Fund Reports 53 Million Gallons of Oil Remain in Gulf, Disaster Not Over

Mental Health Crisis Looms as Jobs Disappear; Toxic Dispersant Still Being Used; Unsafe Seafood Threatens Commercial Fishing and Human Health; Dead Wildlife Washing Ashore

NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 4 months after the explosion that caused the BP oil disaster, the Gulf Coast Fund (http://www.gulfcoastfund.org), a community-led philanthropy in the Gulf South, reports that a dangerous amount of oil and dispersant remains in the Gulf of Mexico. Contrary to what BP and government officials have been stating, over 53 million gallons of oil are currently spread over the coastal areas and are washing ashore in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida panhandle.

According to Wilma Subra, a chemist/microbiologist and advisor to the Gulf Coast Fund, the public has not been accurately informed about the catastrophic effects of the spill. "Just because the oil is no longer on the surface, it does not indicate that the area is healthy," she explains. "We've received reports from local residents all along the coast who continue to see oil on and off shore, as well as reports of hundreds of dead fish, crabs, birds, dolphins, and other sea life," says Subra. Samples of crab larvae taken from the Gulf have been shown to contain both oil and dispersant.

Residents of Louisiana coastal parishes including Plaquemines, Terrebonne, and LaFourche continue to experience headaches, nausea, vomiting, burning eyes, and chest pains. Long-term health effects from chronic exposure to oil and dispersant include decreased lung function as well as genetic, cardiovascular, and reproductive damage. "Health issues will impact residents and clean-up workers for the rest of their lives," says Subra.

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