Toxic chemicals used on Gulf spill

Coast guard approved use of toxins despite warnings from the US govt

WASHINGTON - The US Coast Guard has routinely approved requests by BP to use thousands of liters of toxic chemical a day to break up oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico despite a federal directive that the chemicals be used only rarely on surface waters, congressional investigators said on Saturday after examining BP and government documents.

The documents show the Coast Guard approved 74 waivers over a 48-day period after the restrictions were imposed, resulting in hundreds of thousands of liters of the chemicals being spread on Gulf waters. Only in a small number of cases did the government scale back BP's request.