Ahem... 'Gulf Oil Spill Won't Harm The Average Beach-Goer, Health Experts Say' - NOLA.com

Gulf oil spill won't harm the average beach-goer, health experts say
By John Pope, The Times-Picayune
June 02, 2010, 7:06PM

<snip>

The oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has captured the attention of local, state and national health organizations, which are setting up networks and monitoring developments so they can counsel an anxious populace.

The potential effects on people on land, including municipal water supplies contaminated with crude oil, are grim -- but at this point theoretical, representatives of these organizations say,

For now, a Tulane environmental expert says, everyone needs to sit back, take a deep breath and think rationally.

"We have to use common sense," said LuAnn White, director of the Tulane Center for Applied Environmental Public Health. "People say it's so bad. Yes, it is bad, but we need not to be fearful. We need to look at the facts."

Individuals at greatest risk are on the front lines -- those who skim or burn off oil at sea, and others who clean up beaches and marshes -- and some of these individuals have shown symptoms that could indicate chemical exposure, West Jefferson Medical Center spokeswoman Taslin Alfonzo said.

In the past week, the Marrero hospital, which has set up a first-aid tent on Grand Isle, has treated and discharged 11 people who complained of nausea, severe dizziness and chest pains, she said.

But these individuals were 40 to 50 miles out at sea, and the likelihood of such reactions diminishes with distance, said Dr. James Diaz, head of environmental and occupational health sciences at LSU School of Public Health in New Orleans.

"The solution to pollution is dilution," he said.

By the time the oil hits the beach, "all that's left are the oil slick -- a thin layer of some of the oily compounds -- and the tar balls, almost like asphalt," said White, who is not letting the spill keep her from a vacation later this month in Orange Beach, Fla.

The black globs on the beach are "nasty," she said, "but just being on the beach with them is not going to cause people problems. If we're thinking about human health, the concentration that would get to shore is infinitesimal."

Because they are academic scientists, Diaz, White and their colleagues are busy devising projects that will let them take advantage of the situation.

"There's a tremendous amount of research to be done, because we're finding out how much we don't know," White said.

<snip>

More: http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/gulf_oil_spill_wont_harm_the_a.html

:wtf:

:banghead:

:crazy:

And then will BP try to charge beachgoers extra for the suntan oil on their bodies?

Just smear it on... go ahead!

and I agree :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

I guess all the dead land and sea creatures is meaningless too, right?

I got yer average beach goers right here...

Yeah, THAT's reassuring.

The average beach-goer will be spending the summer vacation in Wild Wonderful West Virginia, riding the whitewater and drinking some "series" XXX this season.

in the water traveling the same currents as the oil?

Do they really expect us to believe this BS?

Edit for spelling.

She says the air at 50 miles out may be... no... it is sending the guys out there to the doctor.

So... the air at 50 miles is bad shit.
Does that air stay there? No.

Are there air quality monitors on the boats? If not, why not?
Are they trying to keep information from us?

Gawd, you'd think bushco was still in charge.

Because they won't be at the beach until it's all cleaned up.