‘Oil spill dispersants pose risks to human health’

MANILA, Philippines — The chemical-based dispersants being used to clean the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro pose risks to public health, an official of the Climate Change Commission (CCC) warned yesterday.

“Aside from harming marine flora and fauna, dispersants also endanger human health as these contain 2-butoxyethanol, which can cause injury to red blood cells, kidney or liver with repeated or excessive exposure,” CCC Commissioner Albert dela Cruz Sr. said.

Although dispersants can help clear the oil spill, Dela Cruz said these could later damage the marine ecosystem in affected areas.

“While dispersants can clean the coastal waters of Mindoro and Batangas from the massive oil slick, the resulting chemical reaction of using these can become a major concern in terms of pollutants sinking into the marine floor,” Dela Cruz said.

He said authorities are currently using chemical-based dispersants to clear the oil spilled by the sunken M/T Princess Empress.

The tanker was loaded with more than 900,000 liters of industrial oil when it sank in the waters off Naujan town on Feb. 28.

Dela Cruz, a biologist and environment protection specialist, said the dispersants could only remove oil from the surface of the water and could still pollute the sea bed and the shore line.

Instead of using dispersants, he suggested the use of skimmers or the conduct of filtration to remove the oil from the water.

Dela Cruz had met with officials of the Philippine Coast Guard led by Admiral Artemio Abu to assess the situation.

During the meeting, Dela Cruz said the incident could be better addressed through filtration or the use of skimmers.