Top eco-investigator Erin Brockovitch (above – remember the Julie Roberts movie?) claimed in a Reuters article yesterday that the Gulf oil-slick cleanup agent being employed by BP is highly toxic and causing serious illnesses among clean-up workers.

Brockovitch reports that when planes began spraying chemical dispersants above the water, BP-hired cleanup workers developed open sores, high blood pressure, nausea, and high white blood cell counts. Headaches, dizziness, and breathing troubles were also reported among those less directly affected.

The spill-dispersal workers were not given respirators.

Scientists believe the ailments most likely come from exposure to chemical dispersants like Corexit, or simply oil and oil vapours.

The companies deny this.

Maker of Corexit Nalco claims its product is only mildly toxic, but here in the UK we have banned the dispersant’s use .

More than 1.1 million gallons of Corexit have been used in the Gulf.

BP continues to deny any responsibility for these complaints. It maintains that its monitors can’t detect anything unusual that could be making workers sick. Tony Hayward, the company’s CEO, suggested the illnesses might be food poisoning….not an entirely convincing retort.

Shortly after the spill became public, Hayward said BP took full responsibility for the cleanup. “It is indeed BP’s responsibility to deal with this, and we are dealing with it,” he said.

Up to but not including workers potentially made sick by its actions.