Risk of Gulf Oil Spill Health Problems Have CDC on Alert

Federal health officials are on alert for potential health problems that could arise from the massive British Petroleum (BP) oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, following reports that some clean up workers and fishermen have fallen ill. 

On Monday, the U.S. Centers for Disease, Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced that 132 federal investigators and health experts are assigned to watch for and respond to potential oil spill health problems. The move comes after some workers hired by BP began to complain of health issues that may have been caused by the oil spill.

The gulf oil spill started shortly after the April 20 explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon sent the oil drilling rig to the bottom of the Gulf and unleashed an oil spill in the Gulf that could be the worst environmental disaster in history. Some estimates place the amount of oil erupting from the well on the ocean floor at tens of thousands of barrels per day. The oil slick, large enough to be seen from space, has began to wash ashore on the coasts of multiple gulf coast states, including Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida.

Near the end of May, U.S. Representative Charlie Melancon, from Louisiana, wrote to DHHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, alerting her that a number of fishermen hired to help with clean up operations began reporting severe headaches, nausea, breathing problems and dizziness while working in the waters off the Gulf Coast, which are filled with oil, tar balls, dead fish and sea life, and chemical dispersants.

The workers say they were laying containment booms in the water, but were not given any protective gear, and were told that there would be no problems if they came into contact with oil. When oil and other chemicals began to drift into the area, they began to suffer eye irritation and other symptoms.

The CDC says it is conducting surveillance across the gulf states impacted by the spill and is providing information to oil industry workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the U.S. Coast Guard, and other volunteers, state and federal workers in the area.

The agency is also surveying workers in the area to ensure that they are all properly educated about potential health risks. CDC is also using the National Poison Data System (NPDS) and BioSense to monitor for increases in a number of respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, eye and skin-related symptoms that could be signs of oil spill health side effects. Symptoms could include:

• Asthma exacerbation
• Coughing
• Chest pains
• Eye irritation
• Nausea
• Headaches

Currently, the CDC says that it believes that while the pollutants may cause temporary irritation, they are unlikely to lead to long-term harm.

About 100 wrongful death, environmental tort and shareholder lawsuits over the gulf oil spill have been filed against British Petroleum (BP), Transocean Ltd., Halliburton Energy Services, Inc. and Cameron International Corp. since the the oil spill began. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation is scheduled to look at the oil spill lawsuits in July. They will decide whether the cases should be consolidated to prevent duplicative discovery and inconsistent rulings. The Panel will also determine where the oil spill lawsuits should be centralized if an MDL is formed.