Episode Details

On April 20, 2010, a blowout on the Deepwater Horizon rig resulted in a massive explosion that killed 11 workers and triggered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. In this episode of pplpod, we explore the catastrophe at the Macondo Prospect, where a sea-floor failure allowed oil to flow into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days.

Join us as we break down:

• The Warning Signs: How cost-cutting decisions and defective cement led the U.S. government to apportion blame to BP, Transocean, and Halliburton.

• The Response: The failure of containment domes and "top kill" methods, and the controversial experimental use of 1.84 million gallons of Corexit dispersant.

• The Environmental Toll: The devastation of the Gulf ecosystem, including mutating fish, a spike in dolphin deaths, and oil entering the food chain.

• The Human Cost: The chronic health consequences reported by cleanup workers and the $65 billion financial blow to BP.