Following the death of his 21-year-old son Ali, Hussein Julood has started legal action against British Petroleum (BP). Ali passed away following a battle with leukaemia in April 2023. His story was covered in a BBC documentary ‘Under Poisoned Skies’, where journalists tracked the lethal impact of air pollution caused by fossil fuel companies.
According to the BBC, the claim letter alleges that toxic emissions from flaring practices on the Rumaila oilfield had caused Ali’s cancer and death. BP is the lead contractor on the Rumaila oilfield, which is why it is claimed that the oil giant is partly responsible for what has happened to Ali. Mr Julood is seeking damages for the medical expenses incurred during his son’s 6-year cancer battle and for the loss of his son. He is represented by international law firm Hausfeld & Co. LLP.
The town where Ali and his family lived is nicknamed ‘the cemetery’ by locals, due to the high rates of cancer among its inhabitants. The prevalence of cancer has been linked to the use of flaring on the Rumaila oilfield. In fact, the BBC found that nowhere else is there as much flaring as at the Rumaila oilfield.
Flaring is the practice of burning natural gas that is released during oil production. It is done for different reasons, including safety, economic, technical, or regulatory purposes. However, during flaring, methane and chemicals such as benzene are released into the air. According to the World Health Organization, exposure to benzene is a major public health concern, leading to acute and long-term diseases.
If flaring occurs at an oilfield, the resulting emissions are often not reported. The entire practice of flaring even happens off-record. Yet, the World Bank found that the Rumaila oilfield had flared 3.39 billion cubic metres of gas in 2022, which together was good for 9.5 million tonnes of CO2e released into the air.
In November 2023, BP claimed to indeed be concerned about the use of flaring on the Rumaila oilfield. It said: “We understand the concerns and we’re in action”. In an earlier statement, BP said that it had reduced flaring at Rumaila by more than 65% from 2016 to 2022.
BP is set to have its Annual General Meeting in London tomorrow, 25 April 2024, where Mr Julood will address the company’s directors and shareholders about the environmental and health impacts of flaring.
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