When the Exxon Valdez ran areef in 1989 and spilled 11 million gallons of oil into Prince William Sound, 15,000 workers from around the world rallied to help with the cleanup. Now it’s the workers themselves who need help: More than a decade after the spill, hundreds of them say they are suffering from problems ranging from nausea and nosebleeds to kidney problems and cancer. Three legal investigators, including Erin Brockovich, have taken up the cause of the cleanup workers. They say Exxon, now ExxonMobil, failed to protect the workers from exposure to both the spilled crude oil and the chemicals used in the cleanup, and are weighing whether to take the case to court.
