During the 2010 BP oil disaster, unprecedented amounts of toxic oil-based dispersants were used to allegedly minimize harm to people and wildlife from the crude oil itself, based largely on oil industry rhetoric.

Aerial spraying and deep sea injection of dispersants continued daily, for months. Nothing like this had ever been tried before — it was all a giant experiment.

The post-disaster science rewrote what was known or presumed to be true about Corexit dispersants. Oil-dispersant mixtures create a toxic cocktail that is deadly to wildlife and humans—much more toxic than oil alone.

Once the truth was exposed, the manufacturer discontinued making and selling Corexit dispersants. However, stockpiles exist around the world and are available for immediate use during marine oil spills including in every coastal state in the U.S.

The dispersant debacle highlighted three major problems in oil spill response that increase the harm from these disasters rather than minimize the harm as required by law. The President’s Commission on the Deepwater Horizon identified these problems as critical gaps in national preparedness for oil spills They provide our campaign framework.

1. Lack of local involvement in response preparation: Disasters begin and end locally. Successful disaster response starts with a local plan developed by states with public input like the regional citizens’ advisory councils in Alaska.
2. Inadequate preparation to protect human health: Previously, response plans considered environmental impacts and restoration, not human health impacts. Product use decisions did not address public health concerns or adequate safety training for citizen responders.
3. Outdated testing protocols allowed use of very toxic products: This critical gap was identified by concerned citizens who successfully sued, resulting in rules that could (if implemented) eliminate the more toxic products.