Erin Brockovich probes Valdez oil spill claims

Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Workers who helped clean up the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and became ill afterward are being contacted by Erin Brockovich, the legal investigator whose successful case against Pacific Gas and Electric was made into a Hollywood movie.

Thousands of the oil spill workers complained of respiratory problems but were told they had colds or flu, Anchorage attorney Michael Schneider said.

He said Exxon and Veco Inc., the company Exxon hired to clean up the 11 million-gallon spill, "knew or should have known that oil, along with diesel fumes, along with the chemicals, was being put into the air."

Schneider, Brockovich and California attorney Ed Masry are now investigating the workers’ illnesses and expect to decide in a few months whether they will sue.

Exxon Mobil spokesman Tom Cirigliano said the cleanup of oil from the Exxon Valdez was "a remarkably safe operation."

"The most toxic components in fresh crude oil evaporate quickly and would not have been of concern to those responding to the spill," Cirigliano said.

But Masry said he suspects that Exxon, now Exxon Mobil, rushed to clean up the spill and overlooked worker safety. For example, workers were cleaning oil from birds and other wildlife in poorly ventilated sheds, he said.

Exxon Mobil said similar allegations have arisen before, but fewer than 25 workers have sued the company over allegations involving exposure to crude oil and chemicals used in the cleanup. Eight of the claims were dismissed by the courts and seven were settled, the company said.

Cirigliano said there was no evidence to suggest the cleanup systematically produced illnesses or injuries. The likely cause of any respiratory infections was due to workers living in close quarters, he said.

Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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