"Give us a hurricane and we'll deal with it. Give us an oil spill, and we have no idea where to begin."

Since we arrived in New Orleans we have been able to hear many different perspectives on the Gulf Oil Spill.  Today we heard yet another perspective, this time through the eyes of Shannon and Cesar from the Louisiana Bucket Brigade.  The Bucket Brigade is an environmental health and justice organization that works with communities directly affected by oil refineries and chemical plants.  Their mission of clean air, justice, and sustainability is accomplished through assisting in community relocation efforts, organizing for legal action, and advocating for better water permitting laws.  A big part of what the Bucket Brigade has been doing since it was established as a non-profit in 2000 is done through the use of EPA-approved air quality testing buckets.  There are currently around 35 buckets being used by community members that reside near refineries and plants in the state of Louisiana.  The community members can easily take air quality samples at any time and are able to monitor the pollution themselves.  In this way, the Bucket Brigade is able to give a voice to local residents and has empowered them to reduce pollution and protect public health. 

 

The crisis map is the Bucket Brigade’s newest project.  Through text, phone apps, twitter, and their website, residents submit reports of the impacts of the oil spill.  Reports range from health impacts and sightings of affected wildlife to sightings of oil and reports of odor.  The crisis map is able to track the impacts of the spill in real time and is documenting the story of the spill from the residents that experienced it. 

There were 17 operating refineries in the state of Louisiana in 2008, representing 12.1% of the country’s operating refineries. So what exactly are some of pollutants being daily deposited into the Louisiana air from these refineries and what risks do they present to inhabitants of the state? Benzene, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, Ozone 3, lead, and particulate matter are just a few to start with, each contributing to a host of disease processes including respiratory, hematological, immunological, neurological, reproductive, developmental, and genotoxic effects and has been linked to increased prevalence of cancer. Louisiana currently ranks 2nd in the nation for Benzene pollution and cancer mortality and 4th in the nation from hazardous air pollution from petrochemicals.

Representatives from the Bucket Brigade emphasized the fact that relatively few studies have been conducted to measure the long-term impacts of refinery pollution and oil spill-related hazards on human health. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is in the process of organizing a long-term study to research the health impacts of workers involved in the gulf cleanup, and Tulane plans to study the impact of the spill on the health of women and children. 

As the dust settles on the sensational coverage of the spill- political harangues eloquently launched in the shadow of an election year, soupy brown oil covered herrings and sea turtles splashed across National Geographic, and generations of fishermen scrambling for work to support the livelihood of their families- it is imperative that priority also be given to ensuring the future health of the human population in the Gulf. The region is in dire need of more mobile health clinics and legitimate toxicologists, but funding and action plans have yet to be solidified. Perhaps BP's remediation will offer future healthcare funding for those impacted by the spill, but as for the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, accepting BP's support is not an option. 

Learn more about the Louisiana Bucket Brigade:

http://www.labucketbrigade.org/