Administrator: No claims filed on cleanup illness

BATON ROUGE, La. – The attorney overseeing the payments from a $20 billion compensation fund says he hasn't seen any claims filed suggesting that the Gulf oil spill cleanup has caused medical illnesses.

Kenneth Feinberg is administering the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, which handles claims filed against BP PLC by individuals and businesses damaged in the oil spill last year. Feinberg told a Louisiana House and Senate committee Monday that he hasn't seen any scientific evidence linking cleanup measures such as chemical dispersants to health problems.

Feinberg says such health problems, if they can be proven, might not show up for years — including after his office shuts down in 2013. He encouraged lawmakers to talk to federal officials and BP about ways to continue the claims process after his office disappears.