Cargo Ship Aground in NZ

[Knowazark]

I can't believe these people are working on the beaches without respirators. The Exxon/Valdez and BP workers/people got sick and some permanently.

Well, its not because they haven't been warned. There are plenty of warnings out there and continuing to go out about the potential toxicity and health risks of coming into contact with this stuff.

I don't think comparing it to the Exxon Valdez is terribly valid though. This stuff is heavy fuel oil ... its really thick and tarry and forms clumps. One of the biggest logistical problems for the crews trying to get the fuel off the ship is that it needs to be heated before it will flow. The Exxon situation was a very liquid crude oil that flowed all over the place as a film. Slightly different.

Don't get me wrong, its still pretty damn bad, but just not quite as bad as the Exxon Valdez situation.

One of the more senior political critters here decided to cash in on the whole thing by turning up on the beach in his suit and tie to "help" clean up volunteers. He stayed long enough to tweet that he was helping the clean up teams and that the situation was terrible and would never have happened if he'd been in government, scooped up 2 scoopfuls of sand and had his photo taken. He then jumped into a taxpayer funded car and buggered off. They can be a classy lot these political critters.