During the 2010 BP oil disaster, the federal government allowed the use of over 2 million gallons of toxic chemical dispersants to “clean up” the oil. The quantity of dispersants used during the BP oil spill was unprecedented — and so were its consequences.  

---What can Bill and Melinda Gates do?

Bill and Melinda Gates are the largest individual shareholders of Ecolab, the parent company of Nalco — a major dispersant manufacturer. We are calling on the Gates to use their power as shareholders and public influencers to help us stop the manufacture of these deadly products and safely destroy existing stocks. Add your name to join The Alert Project’s petition to protect our oceans, coastal seas, beaches, wildlife, and the people from these hazardous chemicals once and for all.

---What are dispersants? 

While dispersants create the illusion of “clean” by pushing spilled oil beneath the water’s surface, in reality, a decade of scientific research has shown that the oil-dispersant droplets mix with water or air and create long-term harm from sea surface to seafloor––and to those that breathe the contaminated air such as people, dolphins, whales, sea turtles, pelicans, and more.

Time and time again, these chemicals have been associated with long-term illness, disease, cancer, and more in communities impacted by oil spills and dispersant use. Yet, our nation’s emergency response plan for oil spill response STILL ALLOWS the use of these chemicals and relies on 26-year old science to support their use. 

This petition was created by The Alert Project, a small nonprofit attempting to make big changes in oil spill policy. In January 2020, Alert filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in a bid to ban dispersants for good. Learn more on our website: www.alertproject.org