Congressman Griffith: cigarettes more harmful than oil spill

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WAFF) - Alabama Congressman Parker Griffith was among those questioning BP's CEO Thursday when Tony Hayward testified at a Congressional hearing.

Hayward told them he's devastated by the accident in the gulf that's gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

Congressman Parker Griffith told Hayward he wanted to get past the public relations shenanigans and focus on action to fix the well.

Griffith also told Hayward that this oil spill is not the greatest environmental disaster facing America.

Griffith said it's cigarettes.

"60,000 Americans will die from cigarette related cancer. I'm a cancer specialist. This is not going to be the worst thing that's happened to America," said Griffith.