Image by: Tegan Wendland

Jorey Danos worked with BP's Vessels of Opportunity for three months following the spill and says it made him sick.

Scientology-Backed Clinic Offers Detox to BP Cleanup Workers

From: Tegan Wendland
Length: 04:59

When the Deepwater Horizon exploded two years ago, spilling an unprecedented amount of oil into the Gulf, BP hired about 48,000 workers to clean up. Some of those workers have since reported health problems. There's just one clinic in Louisiana now dedicated to treating them. As WRKF's Tegan Wendland reports, the clinic has a rather controversial backer. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: Scientology-Backed Clinic Offers Detox to BP ...
From: Tegan Wendland

Jorey_small When the Deepwater Horizon exploded two years ago, spilling an unprecedented amount of oil into the Gulf, BP hired about 48,000 workers to clean up. Some of those workers have since reported health problems. There's just one clinic in Louisiana now dedicated to treating them. As WRKF's Tegan Wendland reports, the clinic has a rather controversial backer.

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Piece Description

Transcript

After spending weeks cleaning up oil on the Louisiana shoreline Joe Williams didn't feel very well.

"I used to have headaches and stomachaches and stuff like that - just tired, lack of energy big-time," says Williams.

Once he even blacked out and totaled his car.

Marylee Orr, director of the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, says her organization got hundreds of calls from cleanup workers like Williams complaining of health problems, which they suspect are connected to exposure to the oil and dispersant.

"I mean call, after call, after call, and these people were desperate," says Orr.

Orr had already enlisted Dr. Mike Robichaux, an ear, nose and throat, specialist and former state senator, to test cleanup workers' blood for heavy metals. They wanted to do more, but didn't know how, until Orr received a call from Jim Woodworth, a leader with the Church of Scientology.

Now Pres...
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