AP - An engineering professor has figured out why oil remains trapped along miles of gravel beaches more than 20 years after the Exxon Valdez tanker disaster in Prince William Sound.
My name is Merle Savage; I was a general foreman on three different barges during the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) beach cleanup in 1989. It was an exciting adventure with unusual environmental conditions and demanding situations -- but it turned into 20 years of extensive health deterioration.
In 2007 I learned how toxic the hot water beach spraying was from Dr. Riki Ott. She informed me that Exxon's medical records and reports that surfaced in litigation brought by sick workers in 1994, had been sealed from the public, making it impossible to hold Exxon responsible for their actions.
Exxon developed the toxic spraying; OSHA, the Coast Guard, and the state of Alaska authorized the procedure; and Veco and other Exxon contractors implemented it. Over 70 percent of the 11,000-plus work force was subjected to breathing in the toxic fumes 12-16 hours a day. Beach crews breathed in crude oil splashed off the rocks and into the air: the exposure turned into chronic breathing conditions and central nervous system problems, among many other massive health issues, which continues.
My website is devoted to searching for EVOS cleanup workers who have been exposed to the toxic spraying and are suffering from the same illnesses as me. Our summer employment turned into a death sentence for many -- and a life of unending medical conditions for the rest.
AP - An engineering professor has figured out why oil remains trapped along miles of gravel beaches more than 20 years after the Exxon Valdez tanker disaster in Prince William Sound.
Exxon's Collateral Damaged
My name is Merle Savage; I was a general foreman on three different barges during the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS) beach cleanup in 1989. It was an exciting adventure with unusual environmental conditions and demanding situations -- but it turned into 20 years of extensive health deterioration.
In 2007 I learned how toxic the hot water beach spraying was from Dr. Riki Ott. She informed me that Exxon's medical records and reports that surfaced in litigation brought by sick workers in 1994, had been sealed from the public, making it impossible to hold Exxon responsible for their actions.
Exxon developed the toxic spraying; OSHA, the Coast Guard, and the state of Alaska authorized the procedure; and Veco and other Exxon contractors implemented it. Over 70 percent of the 11,000-plus work force was subjected to breathing in the toxic fumes 12-16 hours a day. Beach crews breathed in crude oil splashed off the rocks and into the air: the exposure turned into chronic breathing conditions and central nervous system problems, among many other massive health issues, which continues.
My website is devoted to searching for EVOS cleanup workers who have been exposed to the toxic spraying and are suffering from the same illnesses as me. Our summer employment turned into a death sentence for many -- and a life of unending medical conditions for the rest.
A 7 minute documented video that exposes medical issues suffered by the workers:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5632208859935499100
Stories and photos of the cleanup:
http://www.silenceinthesound.com/gallery.shtml
http://www.silenceinthesound.com/stories.shtml