NIH To Launch Gulf Oil Spill Health Study

[*GG*]

NIH will launch a multi-year study this fall to look at the potential health effects from the oil spill in the Gulf region. The Gulf Worker Study, announced by NIH director Dr. Francis Collins in June, is a response to the largest oil spill in U.S. history. Collins pledged $10 million in NIH funding for the studys initial phases and asked the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to lead the research project.

To help expedite the launch of the study, oil company BP will contribute an additional $10 million to NIH for this and other health research. NIH will have full autonomy regarding the distribution of the $10 million, with input from external scientific experts in environmental health who are familiar with the Gulf region.

It was clear to us that we need to begin immediately studying the health of the workers most directly involved in responding to this crisis, said Collins.
Dr. Dale Sandler will lead the first health study of its kind on a major oil spill in U.S. waters.
Photo: Steve McCaw


The study will focus on workers exposure to oil and dispersant products and potential health consequences such as respiratory, neurobehavioral, carcinogenic and immunological conditions. The study is also expected to evaluate mental health concerns and other oil spill-related stressors.

Cleanup workers are likely to be the most heavily exposed of all population groups in the Gulf Coast region, said Dr. Dale Sandler, chief of the NIEHS Epidemiology Branch and lead researcher on the study.
What we learn from this study may help us prepare for future incidents that put cleanup workers at risk.

The current focus of NIEHS is to ensure that the Gulf communities most affected by the oil spill have a say in the studys design and implementation, as well as input into future research directions. NIEHS is hosting webinars and other community engagement activities to obtain input.

Community involvement and participation is critical to the success of this study, said NIEHS director Dr. Linda Birnbaum.

NIH and the Department of Health and Human Dr. Dale Sandler will lead the first health study of its kind on a major oil spill in U.S. waters. photo: steve mccawServices have had a continuous presence in the Gulf since the explosion occurred. The NIEHS Worker Education and Training Program contributed to training more than 100,000 workers in the Gulf and distributed thousands of pocket-sized training booklets in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.Robin Mackar

http://nihrecord.od.nih.gov/newsletters/2010/10_01_2010/story4.htm

 

[Sushi]

This is interesting to me as a patient who lived across the street from the oil soaked beaches. After the spill, I never went into the water or walked on the beach but still tested positive for benzine derivatives. We saw the clean-up workers cleaning the beaches 24 hours a day with no protection. NOW, they investigate whether their health was affected.

Also, they refused to close the beach to swimmers--just put up a notice that there was oil and chemicals in the water and asked beach visitors to make their own choice. Many people went into the Gulf and came out with oil on their skin, washed it off and never thought twice about it.

Me, I moved across the country!

Sushi

 

[biophile]

Will they hire a Wessely equivalent to dismiss 99% of the health effects/"complaints" from the oil spill as a media induced hysteria? Will this person then go on to win a "media personality" award for being such an honest and reliable voice among the medically-misinformed public?

 

[RivkaRivka]

collins has $10 million dollars he can just declare goes to this or that study? well, then we have to push harder to get him to give *us* that kind of money, too!

 

[*GG*]

collins has $10 million dollars he can just declare goes to this or that study? well, then we have to push harder to get him to give *us* that kind of money, too!

Hmm, interesting, then hopefully the Activism you spearheaded can cause some positive change!

 

[kat0465]

and even if they didn't go in the water, they still got exposed we all did. it was in the rain. i live in Tx about 20 miles from the beach and when the spill was at it's worse, i could go outside after a rain and see oil sheen on the cement, and in my chicken yard( no grass)

this is gonna be another health crisis, like we dont have enough of those floating around!!! theres a woman that lives in Plaquemine Parish that has some videos on you tube, it's awful!! they have open sores all over thier body from the oil, and the corexit that they are still spraying.

i guess the NIH wont be satisfied until were all gone.;(

Kat

 

[BEG]

kat0465, Your comments about the Gulf oil spill have been extremely interesting.

My brother-in-law worked at Goodyear for many years and was exposed to polyvinyl chloride. He died at age 36. Environmental toxins are the root cause of many diseases, I believe. However, these diseases are always "mysterious", a "syndrome," or an "illness." We're powerless against the polluters whether large or small.

 

[kat0465]

Im sorry about your Brother in law Brown eyes Girl My husband works in the petrochemical field, and i worry about it all the time.
were surrounded by refineries and chemical plants here.theres no getting away from it.
i worked in an automotive paint store for 5 years, and was exposed to all kinds of chemicals, i would have nosebleeds and horrendous migrains, it took 2 years after i quit for my nosebleeds to stop.

Your right, we are powerless. as long as people are becoming filthy rich off of what they can pull out of the ground, with no regulations. were in a heap of trouble!!!
there was a documentary on hbo(i think) a few months ago,this guy was going all around the country but mostly along the gulf coast region. and documenting what big companys are doing with all the natural gas wells thier drilling. it's called fracturing basically exploding underground to break into gas pockets.

and in the process thier poisoning all of our drinking water, they had people that can't even drink what comes out of thier own faucets!!! when i saw it and realized how bad it is and is going to be. it's no wonder were all so freakin Sick!!!!

 

[xrayspex]

Kat where do you live? is this fracturing cus of cheney and bush dropping all the regs and giving oil corps a free for all card? unfortunately obama didnt do anything to stop it once he got in either.

 

[Sushi]

When I lived in Pensacola, after the oil spill, my doctor checked all his patients for petro-chemical contamination and all tested positive. He has put together a protocol to try to deal with it and detox them. It was one of the last things I did before I left the area.

Sushi

 

[kat0465]

i live in Texas, about 40 miles from the Louisiana Line.even this far west we still had big ole tar balls on our beaches. and even oily rain.
i can't imagine how Horrible it is to live right in the middle of all that.
you can bet it started with them, thier oil men for christ sakes. and right again, this administration is doing absolutely nothing to regulate it. it always amazes me how People who profit off of others sufferings don't think it will ever happen to them, or thier families.

i mean really, do they think they can catch a damn ufo to another planet!!!!!Honestly i don't know where to run to anymore

 

[kat0465]

sushi,
can you give us some details on what he did to detox the chemicals??? and are you better since the detox?

 

[maryginger]

Sushi, who is the doctor in P'Cola

I live in the Destin area and was just doing some research. I've had nausea/vomiting, blurry vision, sleeplessness and anxiety attacks for about the past month. I didn't think anything of it thinking it was stress related until I found out two of my boys had the nausea as well. They both work on the beach doing beach chairs. I live a block from the beach and spend a lot of time on the beach. I've read a lot about people being treated for depression was sky rocketing but I just thought a lot of it was the stress from the economic catastrophe this has caused. My oldest son worked the spill in P'Cola almost from the beginning and was just laid off so he was there for a while. I'm becoming concerned and want to see a doctor that will check for the toxicity. Thank you!