On April 20, 2010 BP caused one of the biggest environmental disaster in the history of the world. It spilled 210,000,000 gallons of highly toxic oil before it was plugged. A massive clean-up effort ensued after the initial explosion and thousands of clean-up workers ran toward danger just as people did in response to the 9/11 attack on the twin towers in New York. BP put no safety precautions into place nor did they give any warnings. In fact workers were told they would be fired if they did wear safety equipment because it was bad PR.

In 2014, BP argued in court that it takes years for cancer to develop after people come in contact with the spill. “All individuals with exposure-related injuries diagnosed after an April 2012 cutoff date must sue for compensation under contract provisions reserved for latent injuries, such as cancer, which might develop years after someone comes into contact with the spill.” Yet, as of April 11, 2024, 4,700 Back End Litigation claims have been filed before Judge Barbier in the EDLA. To our knowledge only one $100,000.00 settlements. How can BP get away with extorting the true cost of their service from the cleanup workers? The heroes that worked tirelessly to clean up the spill have instead had to pay for BP with their livelihoods and their lives. Listen to the Ripple Podcast episodes on the left frame to unfold the story.