Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Oil, gas and coal operations · United States · date not stated

BP's Gulf spill used Corexit; Nalco board had ex-BP and Exxon executives

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
What the record lacks: 4 none on record · 1 insufficient · 1 not measured See the gaps

BP applied 1.84 million gallons of Corexit dispersants during the Gulf spill, and the dispersant maker Nalco had former BP and Exxon executives on its board. What is at stake for nature is surface and subsurface water, and the sources give no environmental measurements.

What?
BP used Corexit dispersants in the Gulf spill response; Nalco's board included former BP and Exxon executives (DeSmog, 2011). DeSmog
Where?
Gulf of Mexico, United States (BP Macondo wellhead) DeSmog
When?
Year of the spill not stated in the sources reviewed; DeSmog article dated September 2011 DeSmog
Who?
Gained
None on record
Lost
None on record
Harmed
  • Gulf response workers — Symptoms studied by McGowan et al. (2017) were linked to dispersant exposure; the sources treat these as associations, not proven causes
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
Chemical dispersant applied to surface waters and injected at the wellhead
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

A report cited in the sources (chapter 2) says 1.84 million gallons of Corexit 9500A and 9527A were applied, 1.07 million gallons to surface waters and 0.77 million gallons of 9500A injected at BP's Macondo wellhead.

The NIH GuLF Study enrolled over 32,000 adults, and McGowan et al. (2017) reported that dispersant exposure was linked to all symptoms studied among about 27,659 to 29,468 participants.

DeSmog reported in September 2011 that Nalco's board included former BP and Exxon executives; the sources do not establish that these ties caused BP's choice of dispersant (DeSmog).

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • None on record Reported, not established: BP's choice of Corexit was linked to Nalco board ties; the sources say causation was not shown.
    • Insufficient Reported but not verified: the Corexit product is said to be of Exxon origin.
    • None on record The sources reviewed give no sales or contract values for Corexit.
    • None on record The 'Chapter 2' volume figures and the NIH enrolment figure are cited without a URL in the sources reviewed.
    • None on record The health findings are associations, not established causes.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

    Connected cases

    Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.
    Terms used on this page

    Law and courts

    Arbitration
    A private dispute process in which an appointed arbitrator, instead of a court, decides the case.
    Plea
    In a criminal case, the defendant's formal answer to a charge. A plea agreement settles a case with a guilty plea on agreed terms.
    Punitive damages
    Money a court orders a defendant to pay to punish especially reckless conduct, on top of compensation for losses. Mainly used in US courts.

    Insurance

    Captive insurer, self-insurance
    A company covering its own risks, either directly or through an insurance company it owns.
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