The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Physical Health among Adult Women in Southern Louisiana (The Women and Their Children’s Health (WaTCH)

“Among southern Louisiana women, both physical–environmental and economic exposure to the DHOS were associated with an increase in self-reported physical health outcomes. Additional longitudinal studies of this unique cohort are needed to elucidate the impact of the DHOS on short- and long-term human health.”   Read full study here   

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Warrior Up – The “Other” Keystone XLs

Vancouver, BC.  You’ve probably heard about THE Keystone XL pipeline, but have you heard about the other major pipelines just like it? It’s a fact. Multiple pipelines link the land-locked Alberta tar sands to seaports in the United States and Canada for oil export. While the Keystone XL project has been used as a political…

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WATCH: Spill Voices Call for Stronger Oil Spill Response

Learn from the experts—the people who live with the consequences of the EPA’s decisions. Panelists will share concerns, successes with citizens’ oversight, and key recommendations for the EPA rulemaking. Panelists include: √ Emily Harris, MPH, survivor of the Exxon Pegasus tar sands spill in Mayflower, Arkansas; √ Lyman Welch, with Alliance for the Great Lakes;…

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Submit Your Comment to the EPA – Direct Link

Click here to go to the Federal Register and make your comment to the EPA. Look for the button at the top right hand corner that says, “Submit a formal comment.” IMPORTANT: The form asks for an organization name. Put your own name in the field. We are all entitled to comment. You do not…

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WATCH: Shaping EPA Policy in Oil Spill Response – Riki Ott, PhD

Riki explains the rulemaking process, describes the focus of this rulemaking, and addresses key new or revised rules and their anticipated impact on the environment and public health. She also discusses areas of gaps and some of ALERT’s recommendations. Click here to see the webinar. Dr. Riki Ott witnessed first-hand the ecological destruction and social…

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A Visit from the Ghost of Oil Spills Past

The specter of “friendly” chemical dispersants used in oil spill response was just resurrected in a CNN opinion editorial over the weekend. The ghost was adorned with the finest of the oil industry’s favorite sayings of the past 40 years. “…dispersants work like dishwashing soap!” Oh? As any boater knows, it’s illegal to discharge soap…

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What Should Come First: Health or Profit?

Just before Thanksgiving, federal Judge Barbier ruled that BP would not be responsible, up-front, for illnesses that were diagnosed after April 2012 in spill response workers. In a media interview, former cleanup workers described flu-like symptoms known as the “BP Crud,” inadequate training, and minimal equipment that failed to protect them from the pervasive oil…

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ALERT: Why it matters and why you should care

Imagine if you were one of the people in Greeley, Colorado, who had been stuck in traffic for hours, because unknown chemicals that had “something to do with fracking” had been spilled in the road. What sort of questions might have run through your mind? First responders­ included Greeley’s Fire and Police Departments and Colorado’s…

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Sharing Information & Assessing Needs: Public Health

The rapid expansion of oil and gas activities has been driven by intense political and economic pressures. Increased frequency of spills have created large areas with at-risk populations––the so-called “Sacrifice Zones.” These zones are not just in remote areas, but also populated urban areas. The public health symptoms from exposure to oil and gas activities…

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