Marine Toxicologist Riki Ott on the BP Oil Spill and Its Long-Term Effects

Rose Aguilar spoke with Riki Ott on the sixth-month anniversary of the BP oil disaster -one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history.

In 1989, Ott, a marine toxicologist who lives in Cordova, Alaska, experienced firsthand the devastating effects of the Exxon Valdex oil disaster.

She’s spent five of the past six months traveling back and forth between Louisiana and Florida to gather information about what’s really happening in the Gulf and share the lessons she learned about long-term illnesses and deaths of clean-up workers and residents. She’s planning to return in January.

Part II – Riki Ott on the Gulf: “These People Have Oil in Their Bodies.”

In this interview with Rose Aguilar, Riki Ott talks about the health crisis caused by the BP oil disaster in the Gulf. She says she’s currently dealing with three or four autopsies and knows of people who are down to 4.7% of their lung capacity and have enlarged hearts. “These people have oil in their bodies,” she said.

She believes four to five million people in the Gulf were exposed to either acute or intermediate levels of oil at dangerous levels.

Part III – Riki Ott on BP: “They’ve Got Our Politicians Completely Hamstrung.”

In this interview with Rose Aguilar, Riki Ott talks about whether BP will ever be held responsible for the oil disaster, BP’s partnership with NOAA in schools, the oil disaster’s long-term effects on the ecosystem, the citizen uprising in the South, and the most effective way to save the planet from further destruction.

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For More About Her Work, Visit: https://www.rikiott.com/

Related Stories:

Experts: Health Hazards in Gulf Warrant Evacuations by Rose Aguilar
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White House Blocked and Put Spin on Scientists’ Warnings – Guardian
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Report: White House Suppressed Information on Oil Spill – AP
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Parents Just Say “No” to BP, NOAA School Propaganda Campaign – Examiner
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Principal Defends Inviting BP and NOAA to Educate Her Students About Oil Spill – Raw Story
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BP Educates Terrebonne Students on Oil Spill – Tri-Parish Times
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Oaklawn Students Engage in Oily Experiment – Houma Today
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Rose Aguilar is the host of “Your Call,” a daily call-in radio show on KALW 91.7 FM in San Francisco and on KUSP 88.9 FM in Santa Cruz. She is author of “Red Highways: A Liberal’s Journey Into the Heartland.”