Nalco: Using partial truths to further the Big Lie about Corexit

When Nalco finally made the supposedly complete list of Corexit ingredients available to the EPA, they also were "thoughtful" enough to list some of the examples of how those ingredients were used in day to day products.

From the Nalco website:

COREXIT Ingredients

Several weeks ago, Nalco responded to US EPA requests by providing the agency with detailed formulation and ingredient information on our COREXIT dispersants. We further agreed that this information could be shared with any other federal agency and with third party laboratories EPA has been using for its Gulf monitoring and assessment program to allow them to monitor any potential for risks to the environment or public health.

The table below outlines the same ingredient list for our COREXIT dispersants as provided to the EPA.

CAS #	Name	Common Day-to-Day Use Examples
1338-43-8	Sorbitan, mono-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate	Skin cream, body shampoo, emulsifier in juice
9005-65-6	Sorbitan, mono-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) derivs.	Baby bath, mouth wash, face lotion, emulsifier in food
9005-70-3	Sorbitan, tri-(9Z)-9-octadecenoate, poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl) derivs	Body/Face lotion, tanning lotions
577-11-7	* Butanedioic acid, 2-sulfo-, 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester, sodium salt (1:1)	Wetting agent in cosmetic products, gelatin, beverages
29911-28-2	Propanol, 1-(2-butoxy-1-methylethoxy)	Household cleaning products
64742-47-8	Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light	Air freshener, cleaner
111-76-2	** Ethanol, 2-butoxy	Cleaners

* Contains 2-Propanediol

** This chemical component (Ethanol, 2-butoxy-) is NOT included in the composition of COREXIT 9500

COREXIT 9500 is the sole product we have been making for Gulf responders since the spill began. Limited quantities of COREXIT 9527 may have been drawn from existing dispersant stockpiles from around the world. COREXIT 9500 does not include the ingredient 2-butoxy ethanol, an ingredient in COREXIT 9527.

Both COREXIT dispersants have been approved by the EPA as part of the National Contingency Plan for treating oil spills.

In addition, a May 2010 report by the Centers for Disease Control concluded that “because of the strict guidelines that must be followed to utilize dispersants, it is unlikely that the general public will be exposed (directly) to (the) product.” The report further states that “ingredients are not considered to cause chemical sensitization; the dispersants contain proven, biodegradable and low toxicity surfactants.”

Now, let's take a look at what Nalco did not report and what they miss-reported.

First of all, Nalco saying that "Limited quantities of COREXIT 9527 may have been drawn from existing dispersant stockpiles from around the world" is a thin hair's breadth from being a blatant lie. Nalco and everyone else familiar with the use of Corexit dispersants in the gulf knows that there has been heavy use of both Corexit 9527 and Corexit 9500 in the water, on the water and on the beaches. While there may have been more of COREXIT 9500 used than 9527, there has nevertheless been tens of thousands of gallons of COREXIT 9527 used. Drawing the 9527 from existing stocks and sending freshly made 9500 is no more than a shell game that allow them to make such misleading statements.

What Nalco seems to be trying to say is "Look, we are only using our safer COREXIT 9500 and it does not contain that bad Ethanol, 2-butoxy stuff like we had in COREXIT 9527."

Putting aside the misleading statement about the use of COREXIT 9527, how safe then is COREXIT 9500?

How about we start off with the company's own warning label:

“May cause nausea and vomiting. Can cause chemical pneumonia if aspirated into lungs following ingestion.”

That does not sound very safe to me.

A little further checking finds that COREXIT 9500 is reported to be four times more toxic than oil (oil is toxic at 11 ppm (parts per million), COREXIT 9500 at only 2.61ppm). In a report written by Anita George-Ares and James R. Clark for Exxon Biomedical Sciences, Inc. titled "Acute Aquatic Toxicity of Three Corexit Products: An Overview," COREXIT 9500 was found to be one of the most toxic dispersal agents ever developed."

According to the Clark and George-Ares report, Corexit mixed with the higher gulf coast water temperatures becomes even more toxic. The U.K.'s Marine Management Organization has banned Corexit so if there was a spill in the U.K.'s North Sea, BP is banned from using Corexit.

No, that really does not sound safe to me. But how could that be with all those safe common-household-chemicals in COREXIT 9500 that Nalco told us about? Let's take a closer look at those other chemicals and see if there might be more to those ingredients than the rosy picture on the Nalco website and the list they furnished the EPA :

Sorbitan

Various of the forms of Sorbitan Nalco lists are found in things like skin creams, tanning lotions and such, and it is used as an emulsifier in food in nutraceudical form. However, the NOAA CAMEO Chemicals page states that exposure to Sorbitan may cause "chemical pneumonitis, intestinal obstruction, and eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation." Studies done on rats and mice given repeated doses of Sorbitan found evidence of increased carcinogenic activity in male rats that were part of the 2 year study (National Toxicology Program). While the nutraceutical form may have been approved by the FDA (as if that is any assurance), the industrial form is combustible and corrosive, capable of causing burns and is a severe eye irritant. It is also dangerous to inhale and, according to first aid instruction for people who have inhaled it, it can evidently cause a person to stop breathing.

Butanedioic acid

Butanedioic acid is found in industrial hand cleaners, lacquer thinners, paint strippers, pesticides, body soaps, food additives, pharmaceutical additives and oil dispersants. One rather suspects, or at least hopes, that it is not industrial grade or industrial volumes of butanedioic acid that is found in the foods and pharmaceuticals and here is why:

A number of animal studies have been conducted to determine potential effects of human exposure. High doses from oral exposure have caused depression, diarrhea, lethargy, irritation and hemorrhage of the gastrointestinal tract, and death in rats and mice as well as low body weight (of adults), decreases in maternal weight gain, low birth weight of pups, and malformed fetuses. Exposure to the skin has caused erythema, edema, premature skin death, irritation, and coarse skin in rabbits.

In aquatic tests, fish experienced a 50% or higher mortality rate when concentrations of butanedioic acid, 2-sulfo-, 1,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl) ester, sodium salt were between 28-37mg/liter of water after 4 complete days of exposure. In other aquatic tests, 50% or more aquatic invertebrates experienced negative effects from a 2-day exposure to a concentration of 36.2mg/liter of water.

2-Propanol, 1-(2-butoxy-1-methylethoxy)

2-Propanol, 1-(2-butoxy-1-methylethoxy) is found disinfectant and cleaning sprays, paints, adhesives and, of course, oil dispersants. It is also used in miticides and insecticides. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances lists it as a suspected neurotoxicant and in tests, fish experienced a 50% mortality rate in concentrations of 841 mg/liter of water for 4 days.

Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light

Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light is found in the oil dispersants, pesticides, charcoal, air fresheners and deodorizers, adhesives, car wax, car tire protectant and car fuel system cleaners.

Inhalation can cause dizziness, headache, drowsiness, nausea, unconsciousness. Ingestion can cause cough, diarrhea, sore throat, and vomiting. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Hazard states that it is harmful to aquatic organisms.

No wonder Nalco drew their COREXIT 9527 from existing stocks. If it is even more toxic than COREXIT 9500, using it in the gulf was probably about the only way they had to get rid of it!

I am sure that the above list I found from spending a bit of time online is nowhere near a complete one, but I believe you will have to agree that it gives a much different picture of what the so-called safe common household ingredients might do when sprayed in huge volumes into oil and sea water and then have our skins, eyes and lungs exposed. Mind you, the above list is what those items may do individually. There are no tests as to what they may do in combination with one another or when combined with the even more toxic COREXIT 9527.

Nope, doesn't sound safe to me. So pardon me if I skip any future trips to tarball beach or meals of Corexit crab.