US oil spill clean-up boats recalled after crews fall ill

GEO 436 NEW ORLEANS: All 125 commercial fishing boats helping oil recovery efforts off Louisiana’’s Breton Sound area have been recalled after four workers reported health problems, officials said. The crewmembers aboard three separate vessels “reported experiencing nausea, dizziness, headaches and chest pains” mid-afternoon Wednesday, the US Coast Guard said in a statement. “No other personnel are reporting symptoms, but we are taking this recall action as an extreme safeguard,” said Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Robinson Cox. The move raises questions over the safety of the clean-up operation in and around the Gulf in Mexico, in particular the protection workers have been given as they mitigate the oil, and the toxicity of the controversial chemical dispersants being used by BP in an attempt to break up the slick.

Related posts:

1. Coast Guard says boats deployed to curtail spill (AP)
2. Tar balls seen on Alabama barrier island – MarketWatch
3. Coast Guard to burn oil spill as concerns mount – MarketWatch