UPDATE: Good news! Unified Command actually responded to me and said that no dispersants are being used:
My DRAFT statements to Laguna Beach and Aliso Viejo City Councils are below. I am a resident of Aliso Viejo, which is next to Laguna Beach. These were not the statements ultimately used, since the story evolved before then, but the information can be helpful.
Aliso Viejo:
I have lived in Aliso Viejo since 2001 and I have never been more afraid for the safety of myself, my family, and fellow residents than I am today. There is a potentially serious threat to the health of Aliso Viejo residents from the oil spill cleanup efforts and as the oil has spread next to us in Laguna Beach, our City Council needs to take action to protect our citizens from illness or death from the effects of the cleanup process, which can spread to neighboring cities like ours. Even though it is banned in other countries, Corexit dispersant has been authorized for use with oil spills from the Huntington Beach pipelines, it can be sprayed by planes over communities and often on top of homes, is easily spread airborne to surrounding areas, and is 52x more toxic than the oil alone. Corexit has been alleged to cause countless deaths and catastrophic illnesses like cancer, burns, respiratory failure, and brain damage after it was used in the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill. Many residents in the Gulf are still suffering with incurable, debilitating diseases. Worse, it is not very effective in actually cleaning up the oil, it mainly hides it from the naked eye so the companies do not get penalized as much. Nearby residents of the Gulf spill reported many “bad air days” with the oil and chemical in the air and some studies indicate air pollution can spread can up to 100 miles. There are unconfirmed reports on social media indicating that some limited use has started but we still have time to stop any further use and any large-scale spraying. City Council needs to adopt a resolution urging all parties involved not to use Corexit due to the health risks to Aliso Viejo residents breathing the air which would be contaminated with this possibly deadly chemical, take action to ensure flight paths for the spraying planes do not include Aliso Viejo so as to avoid accidental discharge, establish a notification system to let residents know when the air is unsafe to breathe as a result of the spill, and have a plan to evacuate vulnerable citizens if needed. Thank you.
Laguna Beach:
There is a potentially serious threat to the health of Laguna Beach residents, to surrounding communities, and to the future of our beaches from the oil spill cleanup process, beyond the damage of the oil itself. City Council needs to take action to protect its citizens from illness or death from the effects of the cleanup process and to ensure that beaches can reopen safely at some time in the future. Even though it is banned in other countries, Corexit dispersant has been authorized for use with oil spills from the Huntington Beach pipelines, it can be sprayed by planes over communities and often on top of homes, is easily spread airborne to surrounding areas, and studies say it is 52x more toxic than the oil alone. Corexit has been alleged to cause countless deaths and catastrophic illnesses like cancer, burns, respiratory failure, and brain damage after it was used in the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Many residents in the Gulf are still suffering with incurable, debilitating diseases just from living or working near the beach where the cleanup occurred. Worse, it is only minimally beneficial in cleaning up the oil; it mainly hides it from the naked eye so the companies do not get penalized as much. When beaches reopened in the Gulf, after all was assured to be safe and cleaned up, people came out of the water covered in oil and Corexit, and the Corexit allegedly caused severe burns, severely disabling health problems, and even allegedly killing one beach goer. Corexit remained in the sand long after the cleanup and is quickly absorbed into the skin before it can be washed off. Again, oil alone is possibly safer and ironically easier to clean up than this chemical. There are unconfirmed reports on social media indicating that some limited use has started but we still have time to stop any further use and any large-scale overhead spraying. City Council needs to adopt a resolution urging all parties involved not to use Corexit and an ordinance to prohibit its use within city limits due to the health risks to residents breathing it in and how the persistence of the chemical jeopardizes the chances of the beaches ever reopening safely. Other cleanup options are available. We also need a establish a notification system to let residents know when the air is unsafe to breathe as a result of the spill and to have a plan to evacuate vulnerable citizens if needed. Thank you.
More Information:
https://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/corexit-found-swimming-pool-sickened-
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