Education
SS 004
Assessing Exposure during Disaster Response: The Gulf Oil Spill Experience
Thursday | 1:00 p.m.–4:00 p.m. |
Topics:
Exposure Assessment Strategies, Incident Planning and Response, Occupational Epidemiology, Symposia
Arranger: D. Hollins, ChemRisk, LLC, San Francisco, CA. Moderator: M. Sandy, Lockheed Martin Corporation., Orlando, FL. Monitors: M. Grespin, W. Cyrs ChemRisk, LLC, San Francisco, CA.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is believed to have released nearly five million barrels of oil, constituting the largest accidental oil spill in marine waters to date. Oil was first observed on theater’s surface on April 22, 2010, following the April 20, 2010 explosion and subsequent sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling unit. The oil leak continued until being capped on July 15, 2010.During and after the leak, thousands of workers and residents involved in cleanup efforts were exposed to oil and/or dispersant products. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has launched a multi-year study to investigate the potential health effects from the oil spill in the Gulf region. The study is focused on workers’ exposures and potential health outcomes such as respiratory, neurobehavioral, carcinogenic, and immunological effects. The study is also expected to evaluate mental health concerns and other oil spill-related stressors such as job loss, family disruption, and financial uncertainties. This roundtable provides an overview of the exposure assessment strategies, an analysis of analytical direct reading instruments and an analysis of exposure data collected to date.
- NIEHS Gulf STUDY — Study Overview and the Exposure Assessment Process. P. Stewart, Stewart Exposure Assessments, LLC, Arlington, VA.
- NIEHS Gulf STUDY — Exposure Assessment Techniques and Preliminary Findings. M. Stenzel, Exposure Assessment Applications, LLC, Arlington, VA.
- BP’s Response to the Gulf Oil Spill. C. Metzler, BP, Houston, TX.
- Direct Reading Instruments and the Gulf Oil Spill: Understanding the Strengths/Limitations When Analyzing the Data. C. Millner, Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health, L.L.C., North Little Rock, AR.
- Analysis and Modeling of Airborne BTEX Concentrations from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. H. Avens, ChemRisk, LLC, Boulder, CO.
