BROCKOVICH - Investigating health claims of Exxon Valdez cleanup workers

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Brockovich investigating health claims of Exxon Valdez spill cleanup workers

By Mary Pemberton, Associated Press, 11/6/2001 05:48

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) Workers who helped clean up the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and became ill afterward are being contacted by Erin Brockovich, the legal investigator whose successful case against Pacific Gas and Electric was made into a Hollywood movie.

Thousands of the oil spill workers complained of respiratory problems but were told they had colds or flu, Anchorage attorney Michael Schneider, said Monday.

He said Exxon and Veco Inc., the company Exxon hired to clean up the 11 million-gallon spill, ''knew or should have known that oil, along with diesel fumes, along with the chemicals, was being put into the air.''

Schneider, Brockovich and California attorney Ed Masry are now investigating the workers' illnesses and expect to decide in a few months whether they will sue.

Exxon Mobil spokesman Tom Cirigliano said the cleanup of oil from the Exxon Valdez was ''a remarkably safe operation.''

''The most toxic components in fresh crude oil evaporate quickly and would not have been of concern to those responding to the spill,'' Cirigliano said.

But Masry said he suspects that Exxon, now Exxon Mobil, rushed to clean up the spill and overlooked worker safety. For example, workers were cleaning oil from birds and other wildlife in poorly ventilated sheds, he said.

Exxon Mobil said similar allegations have arisen before, but fewer than 25 workers have sued the company over allegations involving exposure to crude oil and chemicals used in the cleanup. Eight of the claims were dismissed by the courts and seven were settled, the company said.

Cirigliano said there was no evidence to suggest the cleanup systematically produced illnesses or injuries. The likely cause of any respiratory infections was due to workers living in close quarters, he said.

''Veco as well as Exxon did everything we thought and felt was in order to protect the safety of workers,'' said Jamie Slack, vice president for human resources at Anchorage-based Veco.

Exxon Mobil paid $900 million over the spill in a damage settlement involving the company, the federal government and the state. A $5 billion civil damage award against the company remains on appeal.

Masry and Schneider began looking into the illness complaints at the urging of Riki Ott, a marine biologist who believes workers became ill after breathing an oil-laden mist created by the high-pressure hoses used to clean the shoreline and by chemicals founds in degreasers.

Ott, an expert in marine toxicology, said the workers weren't told what chemicals they were being exposed to or what the long-term health effects could be. She was not part of the cleanup but has worked with some of the 15,000 workers who were.

Ron Smith of Soldotna was among them. He set absorbent booms in his skiff during the cleanup and never wore a respirator, according to a letter Brockovich is sending to cleanup workers. Smith suffers severe headaches, respiratory problems and achy joints, the letter said.

Brockovich also wrote about Phyllis LaJoie of Honolulu, saying her blood also showed high levels of chemicals found in crude oil and solvents. LaJoie cleaned clothes and gear used by beach workers.

''Oil residue and mist always splashed on her face and sometimes in her eyes. She usually did not wear a respirator because they were not available,'' the letter said. LaJoie has had nausea and rashes, and in 1993 was diagnosed with nonhereditary diabetes and an enlarged liver.

Brockovich and Masry gained national attention after rallying the town of Hinkley, Calif., to sue Pacific Gas and Electric in 1993 over the pollution of groundwater. The company eventually settled for $333 million. Julia Roberts portrayed Brockovich in the 2000 movie ''Erin Brockovich'' that chronicled the case.

On the Net:

Exxon Mobil: http://www.exxon.com/

Masrey: http://www.masryvititoe.com/

-- Anonymous, November 06, 2001


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