Health Concerns Remain in Area of Arkansas Oil Spill

Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said he’s concerned about the public health implications of an oil spill earlier this year in Mayflower.

“As we met with residents and groups that represent them … I heard time and time again about their concerns for their health, especially the health of their children,” McDaniel told reporters at a news conference when he announced the creation of a special task force to address residents’ concerns.

He said some residents continue to suffer from headaches and nausea after ExxonMobil Pipeline Co.’s Pegasus pipeline ruptured in a subdivision in Mayflower on March 29 and spilled thousands of barrels of oil.

“The smell is a constant reminder that things are not as they should be,” McDaniel said. “Both the subdivision and the cove look more like construction sites than neighborhoods.”

However, ExxonMobil spokesman Aaron Stryk said ongoing air monitoring in Mayflower has shown levels that are either not detectable or below action levels established by the Arkansas Department of Health.

The Department of Health’s website says that, overall, air emissions in the community are below levels likely to cause health effects for the general population.