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** 2. Where does the author work, what else has s/he written about, and what are her/his credentials? **  Dahr Jamail has done most of his work in recent years reporting of the tragedies in the Iraq war. He looks at the civil rights issues and the human cost of the war. Recently he has been reporting on the environmental tragedies of the world and their effect on people in the area. ** 3. What is the main topic or argument of the text? **  The Dispersants that were used in the BP oil spill cleanup are causing illnesses and skin rashes in people near the spill. BP never knew the true effect of these chemicals on people before they started the wide spread use of them on the spill. ** 4. Describe at least three ways that the main topic or argument is fleshed out. **  The Dispersants that are being used by BP are very toxic. After their application they are able to form other toxic chemicals that cycle through the system and contaminate people. There are many documented cases in the area of sickness because of exposure to the dispersant or oil. There was no extensive research done on the chemicals to see their effect on people over long term exposure. BP did most of their work without knowing the consequences. ** 5. What three quotes capture the critical import of the text? ** Dr. Riki Ott, a toxicologist, marine biologist, and Exxon Valdez survivor. "Solvents dissolve oil, grease, and rubber, spill responders have told me that the hard rubber impellors in their engines and the soft rubber bushings on their outboard motor pumps are falling apart and need frequent replacement." Even the federal government has taken precautions for its employees. US military officials decided to reroute training flights in the Gulf region in order to avoid oil and dispersant tainted-areas
 * 1.** Dahr Jamail, “BP Dispersants ‘Causing Sickness’”. Common Dreams.org, October 27, 2010. []

** 6. Explain how the argument and evidence in the text supports your research focus. **  This really shows how BP and the EPA were willing to jeopardize people in order to clean this spill quickly with as little public viewing as possible. They wanted the oil off the surface as quickly as possible. There were even cases where the government moved its own personnel out of the area because of health issues cause by the dispersants and oil but they never warned the people living in those areas of the danger. ** 7. List at least two details or references from the text that will be useful to other members of your research group ** Some of this information could possible used in lawsuits against BP and the EPA for not taking proper safety actions. Also this can be used in the tourism discussion. The local governments were so unwilling to harm the tourism industry in any way they allowed people onto beaches with hazardous levels of oil and dispersants.