National Tribal Environmental Council

HOUMA, La. – The worst oil leak in U.S. history has grown to 19 million gallons since BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded April 20.

And the oil, still gushing into the Gulf of Mexico is wreaking havoc with tribal lives in Louisiana.

“The smell of the oil is really bad, people describe it as smelling like you were in an engine room,” said Brenda Dardar Robichaux, principal chief of the United Houma Nation May 26 of vapors with potential toxicity.

The Environmental Protection Agency can’t send a representative to their tribal community for five days. “They told us to keep the children inside. In essence our children are in house arrest, their health is at risk.” EPA air monitoring of the coastline through May 23 found normal ozone and particulate air quality levels but observed odor-causing pollutants associated with petroleum products at low levels prompting the agency to warn, “Some of these chemicals may cause short-lived effects like headache, eye, nose and throat irritation, or nausea. People may be able to smell some of these chemicals at levels well below those that would cause short-term health problems.”

An environmental allergy expert said that while most people won’t be affected by the spill and clean up, oil washing ashore and the chemicals used may pose a health risk for those with respiratory diseases like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

“Since the spill is now coming ashore, adults and children with respiratory diseases need to keep a close eye on their breathing, stay inside and call their allergist if they feel ill,” said allergist Jonathan Bernstein, MD, a spokesperson for the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “The oil-dispersing chemicals could also be harmful since we don’t know what they are or if they have a strong odor that may trigger symptoms.”

The oil, washing into Louisiana’s fragile marshes and wetlands and smothering miles of shoreline is threatening the livelihoods of tribal fishermen and supporting businesses like netmakers, suppliers, and restaurants, Robichaux said.

“Right now it’s about two miles from these beaches tribal people grew up on,” said Charles Verdin of the Pointe au Chien Indian Tribe.

His community spans Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration closed about 25 percent of the Gulf’s federal waters to fishing, including coastal areas in tribal locales.

“It doesn’t look good,” Verdin said. “Most of our people are fishermen and they’ve shut down most the areas we fish. This will affect families’ food supplies. That’s scary.”

Verdin said BP representatives met with their community May 25. A primary concern of tribal members was stopping the oil before it reaches burial grounds and sacred sites. “The BP rep promised to supply us booms in the next couple of days.”

Tribal members will place the booms around sensitive areas to deflect the oil. But booms don’t always work and when they do, they just move the oil elsewhere. BP promised $2,500 to $3,500 to some out-of-work people who fish for a living, Verdin said. Some of their fishermen have been hired to work on the clean up.

BP has tried several tactics to staunch the spewing oil well. And all, so far, have failed.

“I shudder to think how this is going to affect us in the long term. We are a resilient people, but this is different than anything we’ve had to face. We haven’t seen the worst yet,” Robichaux said.

“We expect the oil will reach the canals and will infiltrate water supply. The unknown is agonizing. Heaven forbid a hurricane comes, that’s too devastating to even think about.”

Hurricane season starts June 1, and NOAA is predicting an 85 percent chance of above-average activity in the Atlantic for both named tropical storms and hurricanes, calling for 14 – 23 named storms, 8 – 14 hurricanes, and 3 – 7 major hurricanes. Many tropical storms and hurricanes will not reach the U.S. mainland in 2010 but the likelihood of landfall is greater in active years.

“It’s hard to imagine or see our future,” Verdin said. “We just don’t know.”

On May 27 President Barack Obama said, “This is a big mess coming to shore. We’re confident we’re doing everything we can, as urgently as we can.” During his second visit to the Gulf May 28, Obama assured residents in a televised statement, “You will not be abandoned. You will not be left behind. We are on your side and we will see this through. I am the president and the buck stops with me.”

Visit Mother Earth Journal for updates on tribal communities situated on the Gulf coastline.

To see a map of the spill, updated daily, click here.