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History of Offshore Oil Releases and Explosions
Natural Releases
Oil & Gas Exploration and Production EventsMultiple with Differing Oil Types
Exxon Valdez Spill (heavy thick oil)
Prestige Oil Spill off Spain
Explosion and Oil Release Deepwater Horizon Offshore Drilling Rig
Rig ExplosionIn Gulf of Mexico 42 miles offshore from Venice LA, 5200 feet underseaExplosion April 10, 2010 kills 11 workers, injures
17 others, destroys rigSubsequent Oil-Leak
Difficult to know exact volume of leakage, Estimated Total 4.4 + 20% Million Barrels (1bbl =42 gallons)
Likely ~68,000 barrels per day Light Sweet Crude (low viscosity)
Video image June 10, 2010 shows oil continuing to pour out at the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. (AP Photo/BP PLC)
Response to Spill
Rescue and RecoveryCleanup Efforts
> 1 M Gallons Proprietary Dispersants UsedBurning Surface OilSkimmingBooms and Physical Barriers
Initial Attempts at Capping Unsuccessful, Finally Capped July 15
2,500 Skimming Vessels including ~2000 “Vessels of Opportunity” (local boat operators) on Gulf by June 10 2010
A controlled oil burn is seen near the site of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Sunday, July 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Support vessels surrounding the Helix Q4000, the vessel being used to perform the static kill operation, Aug. 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Oil Exposure
Oil - Complex Mixture of HydrocarbonsOils all contain similar compounds, but proportions differ
(Deep Water Horizon- Light Sweet crude)
Components Include
Straight and branched chain hydrocarbons
Aromatic Hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, xylene etc)
PAH and homologs
Sulfur, some heavy metals
Residues- asphaltenes (road tar)
Alkyl Homologues of PAH and other aromatics – not measured by standard EPA methods
Weathering of Oil in OceanInitially the lighter components (shorter aliphatics, benzene,
etc) are lost to the column of water and surface evaporation. About 50% of column has been lost when it surfaces.
Emulsification results in “red mousse’ appearance
Weathered oil S.G. ~similar to water -> buoyancy rising to surface, forming plumes, sinking.
Dispersion enhanced by chemical dispersants (proprietary sulfonates).
Biodegradation (oil-eating microbes) , photo-oxidation.
Burning will form pyrolysis products (PAH, particulate matter)
Tar Balls from Deepwater horizon after a few days on beach are not sticky and almost odorless.
A blob of oil floats from the Gulf of Mexico into the mouth of the Mississippi River near Venice, Louisiana, on May 17.
Tourists watch as Steve Gardner of Mobile scrapes oil from the sand along a 700-yard long strip of oil in Gulf Shores, Ala., Friday, June 4, 2010. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)
Potential Categories of Hazards Related to Gulf Oil Spill & Response Efforts
• Chemical (e.g., oil, dispersants, degreasers, soaps)• Biological (e.g., plants, animals, insects, remediation
materials)• Biohazardous debris (e.g., syringes on shoreline)• Workplace injuries (e.g., slips, trips, falls, cuts)• Ergonomic stresses (e.g., repetitive stress, low back pain)• Heat stress, sunburn, and fatigue• Fires (including exposure to particulate matter) and
explosions• Psychological stress• Drowning and injuries from underwater diving• Noise• Electricity
Potential Toxicity of Oil
7 Studied Supertanker Oil Spills in last 50 Years• Acute eye and throat irritation, transient declines in
pulmonary function, “neurologic” (nausea, vomiting, headaches), and psychological (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress) symptoms.
• No liver, kidney, long-lasting respiratory effects• Transient DNA damage without cytotoxic changes from
Prestige spill, , increased in volunteers, users of high-pressure machines
Physical injuries- especially associated with bird cleaning
No long-term follow-up studies of Exposed GroupsSpecific components of concern PAH, benzene, dispersants etc
Potential Routes of Chemical Exposure to Humans
• Dermal
• Respiratory
• Ingestion– Contaminated seafood– Drinking contaminated water
Vulnerable Groups and Vulnerabilities
Potential Vulnerable Groups
Children
Pregnant
Diseased
Mentally stressed
Community Vulnerability including post Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, Environmental Justice Communities in Gulf Region
Potential for Hurricanes/other weather events to disturb/disperse oil columns
Sand blows across a tiger dam on beach as outer edges of Tropical Storm Alex approach the coast, Grand Isle, La., June 29, 2010. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Spill: Some Important Health Effects
• Deaths/Injuries in Rig Workers
• Acute irritation effects
• Heat Stress
• Psychological Stress
• Long-term exposure effects?
Surveillance - Health EffectsSyndromic Surveillance
Data on sets of symptoms that may be exposure related.
States: Hospital , ER and Urgent Care Centers (e.g. FL ESSENCE)
CDC: BioSense data from DOD, VA facilities
Reporting Surveillance
Reports from Poison Control Centers (real-time), Physician Clinics, others
Investigation of Suspected Clusters
Surveillance Health EffectsState Syndromic Surveillance Findings
AL ERs: 29 exposure related visits in coastal Zone(18 inhalational, 8 dermal, 3 ingestion)
LA : No increase in asthma or respiratory illness
MS, TX No increases
State Reporting Surveillance
AL: 57 mild (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, rash), 9 moderate. 50 Inhalation, 12 dermal, 4 ingestion
17 on barge ill from CO produced by malfunctioning generator
LA: 108 rig or cleanup workers,35 public (headaches, nausea & throat irritation
CDC Syndromic Surveillance Findings 0 to date
Heat Related ProblemsHeat-Related Conditions
Heat Stress
50-75% increase in unsafe behaviors
Worse outcomes in non-acclimatized
Increased associated injuries
Exertional Heat Stroke
Heat Fatigue
Effect of cumulative exposures, impact not well understood
Increased Vulnerability
Gulf summer environment
Exertion
Personal Protective Equipment
Acclimatization may be assumed
Pathways for Communication and information about heat avoiding behaviors
Exxon Valdez: Mental Health Consequences
Several Studies somewhat hampered by protracted litigation
Oiled Mayors Study• Exposure = direct contact with oil, damage or property
loss, 7 disruptions to social and economic activities• Increased Odds Ratios for high v low exposure for
General Anxiety Disorder (3.6), PTSD (2.6) and Depressive symptoms (2.1)
Other Reports; increased use of social services, drug abuse, domestic violence, decline in traditional social relations
Traditional Alaskan Natives, cleanup workers, women, families and children most vulnerable
Childhood Vulnerabilty to Stress Post-Katrina
• Children exposed to long-term persistent stress without strong mitigating parenting (resilient, stable), likely to suffer irreversible effects with increased medical conditions in adulthood.
• 2001 WTC attacks followed by increased anxiety and PTSD.
• Post Katrina: – 75% of affected children demonstrated serious
psychological issues– 4X rate of serious emotional disorders– 2X likelihood of too old for grade
Gulf: Early Mental Health Effects• Unique Gulf Factors
– Retraumatization – Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, recent GEC
– Population diversity – ethnographic/cultural– History; fishermen, tourism, Southern culture
• Long-term Studies Post-Katrina Establish Baseline
• Early Reports– Increased domestic violence, drug offences, focus
groups reveal increased suspiciousness, arguments, depression, suicidal thoughts, alcohol consumption
Crisis as Catalyst – Selected Issues
Status of Surveillance Systems
Research Needs
Communications Leading to Preventive Actions
Lessons
• Agency and Federal-State coordination improved over Katrina
• Some improved responses but groups such as volunteers not well dealt with.
• Slow response on some items eg commencing research data gathering.
• Risk communication confused “what was the health message”
• Others still to be learned…
Health Surveillance- Needed Improvements- State Perspectives
Surveillance systems in place before Disaster were useful
Issues and needs• Voluntary, unvalidated Reports• Link to exposure? Nausea, headaches from heat stress
or exposure?• No monitoring for silent, unlikely to be attributed eg
hypertension, cardiovascular events• Inadequate mental health monitoring• Resident/worker status undefined• Occupational groups may not be included• Workers from Interstate, where reported?• Poison Control Calls to Rocky Mountain Center• Federal funds for “episodes” not infrastructure
Risk Assessment and Communication
Context
Many vested interests who benefit (politically, economically) from different messages or spin.
Animosity towards authorities, fears of losing job if complain
Lab-rat weary populations, distrust of research not leading to actionable outcomes
Conflicting Foci
Actionable information –provides information that guides specific actions or decisions?
Communicate uncertainties -determines what new information is needed, overriding concern for scientific and agency accuracy
Research - Learning from This Event and the Aftermath
NIH – Long Term Epidemiologic Study • Slow response to disaster ?• Research Consortia being encouraged• $10M from NIH, Government Epidemiologists to leadAdditional Research funding from BP
$50M per year for 10 years~10M /yr for Health -Mechanism of distribution yet undetermined
Address Specific Important QuestionsHeat Stress Prevention?Answer Questions of Community Concern?
Legal and Ownership Impediments to Data Acquisition
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