OSHA Releases New Data on Gulf Spill Responders

"The Obama administration has released a new analysis of chemical monitoring performed by BP PLC in order to tamp down concerns that offshore responders battling the oil giant's Gulf of Mexico gusher have been exposed to a chemical linked to lingering health problems among cleanup workers long after the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) made its new data public in response to a Greenwire report that BP had found potentially harmful levels of 2-butoxyethanol, a chemical ingredient in dispersant used during the early days of the Gulf leak, in more than 20 percent of sampled offshore workers (Greenwire, July 8). BP limited its 2-butoxyethanol exposure data to a range that went as high as 10 parts per million (ppm), or double the eight-hour limit recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) -- forcing the government to take a closer look at the company's test results."

Elana Schor reports for Greenwire July 19, 2010.