Fishermen and communities near the Qua Iboe oil fields in Akwa Ibom say the dispersants used by oil firms to contain oil spills are toxic and injurious to health.                     Fishermen operating along  Atlantic shoreline in Akwa Ibom told the newsmen that many of them, who inhaled the ‘teepol’ dispersants sprayed from helicopters suffered respiratory difficulties.               

  Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Mrs Gloria Essien-Danner, confirmed that there was a pipeline leak from one of its offshore platforms on May 1.           

The oil firm said that the source of the crude leakage was immediately identified and isolated, while an oil spill response team was dispatched to contain the spill.

 Investigations at the Qua Iboe oil fields revealed that community leaders prevented oil spill response workers deployed to contain the spill from applying dispersants to control the spill.     Rev. Samuel Ayadi, Akwa Chapter Chairman, Artisan Fishermen Association of Nigeria (ARFAN) said that the use of dispersants was only allowed in the high seas where the possibility of contact with humans was remote.

  Ayadi also appealed to National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency to restrain Mobil from using chemical dispersants to contain oil spills, as the chemical was poisonous to fish and made fish tasteless.                        “The use of ‘Teepol’ is only allowed in the high seas, but here Mobil used it in the coastline and most of our fishermen, who inhaled it have taken ill.”

“The chemical does more damage than crude oil and it should not be allowed.”

   “They may have obtained permission to use dispersants at the offshore locations and rather than use it there, they applied it in the air near the coastal settlements.”

   “They did so because they know that the regulatory agencies will not be there when they apply it,’’   Ayadi said.

  Mr Irvin Obot, Zonal Director of National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) told newsmen that the use of dispersants was not allowed near the shoreline.

  “The NOSDRA Act empowers the agency to grant approval to oil firms to use dispersants, but rather than apply to NOSDRA Mobil chose to seek and obtained approval from Department of Petroleum Resources.”

  “In the industry, dispersants are not allowed near human settlement that is why the law stipulated at least five to 10 kilometres from the shoreline.”