Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health A Summary of the June 2010 Workshop (2010) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 11-28
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From page 11... ...
. Located approximately 40 miles off the coast of Venice, Louisiana, but threatening the entire Gulf and Atlantic coastlines, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, also known as the Gulf of Mexico oil spill or disaster, is the largest offshore oil spill in U.S.
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3 Drawing on the best scientific expertise, the workshop examined a broad range of health issues potentially related to the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster and response with a focus on informing health-monitoring and health care efforts. Workshop presenters and attendees examined a broad range of potential health issues related to the Gulf oil disaster and response.
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x Consider effective communication strategies to convey information about health risks to at-risk populations, accounting for culture, health literacy, language, technology, and geographic barriers. x Explore research methodologies and appropriate data collection to further our understanding of the risks to human health.
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For example, Maureen Lichtveld stated that the Gulf oil spill was a disaster "regardless of who declares it, when it is declared, or how it is declared." When referring to the oil in the Gulf of Mexico, this report uses both terms, which may be preceded by "the Gulf of Mexico," "the Gulf," or "the Deepwater Horizon." This decision is not meant to imply that the situation in the Gulf is anything less than disastrous for communities affected by the oil and response activities. Workshop Themes The workshop provided the opportunity for attendees to hear and to provide a rich array of experiences, diverse perspectives, and a variety of fresh ideas.
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Complexity Assessing the effects on human health of oil spills and response activities is complex. Individual workshop participants identified a number of factors, such as oil composition and weathering, a diverse range of exposures and potential adverse health effects, the unique characteristics of affected populations, and the ongoing nature of the oil spill, that increase the complexity of assessing the effects of the Gulf oil spill on human health.
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Uncertainty Information about the specific hazards related to the Gulf oil spill and the range of potential acute and long-term effects of oil spills on human health is incomplete and leads to uncertainty. A number of speakers, such as Nancy Adler, Blanca Laffon, and Nalini Sathiakumar, explained that very little is known about the potential short-term and especially long-term health consequences of the Gulf oil spill, despite lessons learned from past large oil spills, such as the Exxon Valdez and Prestige spills.
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A number of participants, including David Abramson, said that community engagement can also strengthen surveillance activities by increasing community participation, encouraging surveillance activities that target "actionable" information, and improving the message and manner of risk communications. Coordination Coordination strengthens existing and developing surveillance and monitoring systems.
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Nancy Adler, the chair of the workshop planning committee, stated that the amount of uncertainty defines the Deepwater Horizon spill. From oil on the beaches, to oil fumes, to oil dispersants, to controlled burns, to extreme heat, to possible effects within the food chain, to the, perhaps, permanent disruption of people's livelihood, Adler said that this oil spill's effects on human health is uncertain not only because of the lack of evidence from prior oil spills but also because of the unprecedented magnitude and scope of the Deepwater Horizon spill.
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Specifically, Goldstein discussed the current level of scientific understanding regarding the effects of oil spills on human health, emphasizing that, while disaster response has improved over the past 20 years (since the Exxon Valdez spill) , it still "has a long way to go." Laffon summarized results of the handful of previous studies on the human health effects of exposure to oil spills and described in detail the human health biomonitoring activities that occurred (and are still occurring)
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Goldstein, Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health In discussing the current level of scientific understanding regarding the effects of oil spills on human health, Goldstein stated that, while disaster response has improved over the past 20 years (since the Exxon Valdez spill) , it still "has a long way to go." He described the complex cause-and-effect relationship between oil spill exposures and human health and the lack of evidence around how best to respond to a disaster of this magnitude.
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The third theme was that the majority of the expertise needed for disaster response, just as the majority of the impact, will always be local. Goldstein described the importance of involving affected communities and engaging local authorities in the Deepwater Horizon response.
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, the first part of the study demonstrated significant genotoxic damage in the exposed individuals, with genotoxicity being greater among individuals exposed for longer periods of time.
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According to results of the micronuclei assay, both the manual workers and workers using highpressure water machines experienced significant DNA damage, suggesting that a long period of exposure was necessary to induce significant genotoxic damage. According to results of a third genotoxicity assay (the "sister chromatid exchange [SCE]
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Edward Overton, Louisiana State University The sparse data on exposure to oil spills and the human health effects of such exposure, coupled with the reality that not all oil spills are the same (e.g., oil acts differently in different circumstances -- the Exxon Valdez oil was a heavy, thick, "gunky" material, compared to the Deepwater Horizon oil, which is already emulsified by the time it reaches the ocean surface) , has led to a great deal of uncertainty around exactly what it is that workers and other populations have been and continue to be exposed to during the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster and response.
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Oil starts changing immediately after it leaves the wellhead. Overton explained how, at the time of the workshop, the Gulf Oil disaster involved two main types of oil: a very light, floating oil (source oil)
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The degradation of substances resulting from their use as food energy sources by certain microorganisms. The Deepwater Horizon oil is an "imminently degradable" oil, Overton said, and the bacteria "love it." He stated that biodegra dation and evaporation together led to about 30-50 percent of the Deepwater Horizon oil weathering away within the first week.
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From page 27... ...
In addition to the effects that weathering has on the large number of existing chemicals and chemical structures within oil, the ongoing nature of the Gulf oil spill further complicates monitoring activities because not all the oil within the environment is at the same stage of the weathering process. Therefore, the exposure risks are constantly changing as the oil itself evolves within the environment.
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