The Chaos of Clean-Up

The report analyzes the toxicity of 57 chemical ingredients used in oil dispersants, highlighting significant gaps in scientific research and regulatory oversight. It finds that many ingredients are linked to cancer, organ toxicity, and aquatic harm, while noting that the lack of public disclosure regarding proprietary formulas hinders a full understanding of the risks. The document criticizes the EPA's listing process for lacking safety criteria and recommends comprehensive toxicity testing and full ingredient disclosure.

• A literature review of 57 chemical ingredients found in eligible dispersants reveals a wide range of potential hazards, including 5 chemicals associated with cancer, 33 linked to skin irritation, 33 linked to eye irritation, 11 suspected respiratory toxins, and 10 suspected kidney toxins.
• Regarding the marine environment, 8 of the 57 chemicals are suspected or known to be toxic to aquatic organisms, and 5 are suspected to have moderate acute toxicity to fish.
• The regulatory framework for listing dispersants on the National Contingency Plan Product Schedule is insufficient because it requires only minimal toxicity testing and does not establish any safety or toxicity criteria for a product to be listed.
• During the Deepwater Horizon response, Corexit 9500 was the primary dispersant used; toxicity testing indicated that a mixture of Corexit 9500 and Number 2 fuel oil is more than four times as toxic as the fuel oil alone and nearly ten times more toxic than Corexit alone.
• The ability to understand the full impact of dispersants is hindered by the fact that manufacturers can claim chemical ingredients as confidential business information (CBI), and for 13 of the 57 analyzed ingredients, no toxicity information could be identified in existing research.
• Specific chemicals in Corexit products are linked to serious health risks: Distillates (petroleum), hydrotreated light and Ethanol, 2-butoxy are confirmed animal carcinogens, while others are suspected neurotoxicants or toxic to the blood.

APA

Earthjustice (2011). The Chaos of Clean-Up. https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/Oil_Dispersants_Report.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. The Chaos of Clean-Up. 2011. https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/Oil_Dispersants_Report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Earthjustice |title=The Chaos of Clean-Up |date=August 2011 |url=https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/Oil_Dispersants_Report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{earthjustice2011chaos, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{The Chaos of Clean-Up}}, institution = {Earthjustice}, year = {2011}, month = aug, url = {https://earthjustice.org/sites/default/files/Oil_Dispersants_Report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }