Dispersants Remain a Mystery to Public, Despite Fake "Disclosure"

June 2, 2010

BP has dumped hundreds of thousands of gallons of dispersant on and below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico in an effort to keep oil from reaching land. But the exact ingredients in those dispersants, which some fear could harm ecosystems or human health, are still being kept from the public.

The company that makes the Corexit brand dispersant being used, Nalco Holding Company, has publicly denied that it refuses to disclose the ingredients. Nalco bases its denial on its assertion that it has disclosed the ingredients to EPA. But even in the press releases claiming disclosure, Nalco failed to disclose the chemical identity of the ingredients to the news media or public.

But after BP and Nalco disclosed the chemical identities of the ingredients to EPA, the agency ordered BP to stop using the Corexit dispersant. BP refused.

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