Protecting What's Right

Testifying before a U.S. House of Representatives field hearing, a former employee of Massey Energy Co. claims that federal mine inspectors are not getting an accurate view of mine conditions on their visits because company foremen are being warned of the inspections beforehand.  The former employee—whose son was one of 29 miners killed in the explosion on April 5^th at Massey’s Upper Big Branch mine—reported that, as soon as an inspector from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, the word is spread.  He says violations are then quickly corrected, or inspectors are steered away from the problem areas.

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The U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has declared a fishery disaster involving Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, caused by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.  Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal requested the declaration April 30, already very aware of the threat to the state’s commercial fishing industry.  The disaster declaration is a necessary step to making federal assistance available to those in need in the states’ fishing industries.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has already closed 20 percent of federal waters in the Gulf to all fishing—both commercial and recreational.

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News media, especially photographers, are complaining that British Petroleum and other officials are blocking them from areas where the effects of the spill are visible. Just last week, a CBS television crew was threatened with arrest when attempting to film an oil-covered Louisiana beach. Most recently, a New Orleans Times-Picayune photographer was denied permission to participate in a flyover in Belle Chasse, LA.

If and when access to affected areas is finally granted, it’s done so under strict oversight by BP and Coast Guard personnel. While coordination is needed to prevent unnecessary chaos in an already troubled area, all reporters and photographers are being escorted by BP officials on BP-contracted boats and aircraft, which alerts the company to what images the press is collecting.

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According to BP documents, several days before the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon BP officials chose to use a type of casing for the oil well that the company knew was the riskier choice of two options. This decision was described in the document as the “best economic case” for British Petroleum.

The concerns with BP’s method, which involved substituting heavy drilling fluid with lighter saltwater before sealing the well with a final cement plug, were that if the cement around the casting pipe did not seal properly, gases could leak up to the wellhead where only one seal would serve as a barrier. Using the alternative casing would have provided an additional barrier.

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By Louisiana Native and Shareholder Burton LeBlanc

The oil slick continues to take its toll on the Louisiana wetlands. As it invades further into our coast, more animals are falling victim to the oil. Many species native to Louisiana are at risk of becoming endangered, or possibly heading toward extinction due to the oil violating their habitats.

Some public beaches have already been closed, and oil and dead fish have been washing up all over the coast. Many birds have already been found dead and others have been found “oiled” but still alive. Unfortunately, as the slick spreads there will probably be more infected wildlife. I know that environmental groups are working around the clock to clean up animals infected by the oil, but there is only so much they can do. Animals are still washing up dead on our beaches.

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An investigation conducted by the Chicago Tribune revealed that some brands of skin-lightening cream have high levels of the toxin mercury.

The newspaper bought 50 creams from various sources and sent them to a lab for analysis.  Six were found to contain impermissibly-high levels of mercury, including five that had more than 6,000 parts per million.  Mercury, which can be absorbed through the skin, can cause serious health problems including neurological disorders, blurred vision, difficulty walking, kidney failure, organ shutdown, and even death.

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Wal-Mart has announced that it is pulling all Miley Cyrus-brand jewelry, which has been found to contain high levels of cadmium.  Cadmium is a known carcinogen that can also cause bone problems and kidney failure, and may also hinder brain development in young children.

The Miley Cyrus jewelry line, exclusive to Wal-Mart, has been on sale since December.  A separate line of bracelet charms sold by the retail chain has been found to also contain mercury.  Wal-Mart has not stated whether the charms, sold under the name “Fashion Accessories,” will be removed from store shelves.

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Banner Supply, a Miami distributor of drywall products, knew as early as 2006 that there were problems with Chinese-manufactured drywall but did not warn the public or government authorities, according to the Miami Herald.

Banner—one of the largest distributors of drywall in Florida—had received complaints from builders about odors and concerns about emissions, which it in turn reported to the product manufacturer, Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin (KPT), in late 2006.  KPT replaced approximately 2.2 million square feet of Banner’s drywall supply in 2007.  Banner did not report the problem to government officials or to other customers, however.  In fact, Banner entered into a confidential agreement with KPT, which attorneys in Chinese drywall litigation are trying to obtain.

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A study published in the medical journal Pediatrics reports that the rate of children hospitalized with drug-resistant staph infections, or MRSA, has increased 10-fold in the past decade.  While the study focused specifically on only 25 children’s hospitals, its lead author believes the heightened incidence of MRSA is widespread throughout the U.S.  It is also believed that most of the cases of MRSA in children were contracted in the community.  MRSA cases have traditionally been seen in hospitals and nursing homes.

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