Health Effects of the Gulf Oil Spill
- Gina M. Solomon, MD, MPH;
- Sarah Janssen, MD, PhD, MPH
- Author Affiliations: Department of Medicine, University of California-San Francisco, and Natural Resources Defense Council, San Francisco, California.
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- DERMATITIS
- DISASTERS
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- HYDROCARBONS
- LOUISIANA
- NEUROTOXINS
- OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
- PETROLEUM
- PUBLIC HEALTH
- RESPIRATORY TRACT DISEASES
- SEAFOOD
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico poses direct threats to human health from inhalation or dermal contact with the oil and dispersant chemicals, and indirect threats to seafood safety and mental health. Physicians should be familiar with health effects from oil spills to appropriately advise, diagnose, and treat patients who live and work along the Gulf Coast or wherever a major oil spill occurs.
The main components of crude oil are aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons.1 Lower-molecular-weight aromatics—such as benzene, toluene, and xylene—are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and evaporate within hours after the oil reaches the surface. Volatile organic compounds can cause respiratory irritation and central nervous system (CNS) depression. Benzene is known to cause leukemia in humans, and toluene is a recognized teratogen at high doses.1 Higher-molecular-weight chemicals such as naphthalene evaporate more slowly. Naphthalene is listed by the National Toxicology Program as “reasonably anticipated to …
