Is There A Clue In The Goo

Common sense tells us that we will be paying a huge environmental price for the BP oil mess for decades to come. The health price may not be so obvious.

Is anyone looking at historical data on oil spills and subsequent cases of ALS? Do we have any data on people exposed to the Exxon Valdez aftermath and subsequent Lou Gehrig's Diseaese? Do we have any global reporting that would render clues on oil and water mixing into a deadly trigger for motor neuron disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)? Do the layers of contractors and subcontractors in the many industries related to oil exploration and cleanup make it difficult to track environmental exposures and future health outcomes?

America is an angry nation whose waters have been fouled. Perhaps this is the time to gather some national resolve to figure out ALS and to prevent cleanup workers from paying a horrible price in ten or twenty years for the work they are doing in 2010.