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TV: Massive oil sheen around BP Deepwater Horizon site in Gulf of
Mexico (VIDEO)
11:19 PM EST on December 16th, 2012 | 24 comments
Engineer: “Much more problem” — Destroyed Fukushima Unit 3 to
never be reinforced over next 40 years (VIDEO)
Ongoing Gulf of Mexico Oil Disaster:
Oil Spill Attorney Stuart Smith’s Blog:
Gulf doctor: BP settlement won’t help my sick patients
Dr. Michael Robichaux is frustrated. Since the earliest days of the
Deepwater Horizon spill, Dr. Robichaux — based in Mathews, La. — has
done little else besides treating fishermen, cleanup workers and
coastal residents who’ve been make sick by their exposure to the oil or the
toxic dispersant that was sprayed in the Gulf. In recently months,
Robichaux has looked closely as the $7.8 billion settlement that’s on the
table between BP and local residents and small businesses, and he believes
the deal is grossly unfair to thousands suffering chronic health problems.
Before the hearing that was held before U.S. District Judge Carl
Barbier this fall, Dr. Robichaux filed a letter of objection to the pending
settlement. His primary objections to the medical provisions of the deal
are two-fold: It favors workers and others who suffered acute, short-term
exposure to the spill while failing to properly acknowledge the chronic,
long-term illnesses that many now face in coastal communities. What’s
more, the low financial ceilings on the payments to claimants in the case
won’t be nearly enough to cover medical bills that some will be facing for
the rest of their lives.
Late last month, Dr. Robichaux sent a second letter to Judge Barbier
that re-states his objections, adding his frustration with what he believes
are misrepresentations made to the court about the medical issues for those
exposed to toxic pollution in the wake of the 2010 catastrophe. He spells
out — in very specific terms — the severe conditions such as frequent