Oil spill in China

Photos from an oil spill in China (via The Big Picture).

These pictures are astounding.  However I think they are even more shocking to me now because I went through the HAZWOPER training for the gulf spill 2 weeks ago.  In most of these photos the workers are covered in oil, some head to toe.  Over three days of my training I learned about the levels of exposure that we may be subjected to in the gulf.  You would never ever see American workers at an American site without total protection.  Oil would never touch an American worker's skin, and decontamination would be very strict between the spill site and non-spill areas.  There is so much regulation and protocol for dealing with toxic substances in the US to protect workers. I think this is a good thing. Oil is toxic; there's no two ways about it.

I fear for the Chinese who are participating in this cleanup effort.