Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2024 May;34(3):496-504. doi: 10.1038/s41370-023-00558-6. Epub 2023 Jul 13.
Burning/flaring of oil/gas during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response and cleanup (OSRC) generated high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM). Personnel working on the water during these activities may have inhaled combustion products. Neurologic effects of PM have been reported previously but few studies have examined lasting effects following disaster exposures. The association of brief, high exposures and adverse effects on sensory and motor nerve function in the years following exposure have not been examined for OSRC workers.
We assessed the relationship between exposure to burning/flaring-related PM and measures of sensory and motor nerve function among OSRC workers.
PM concentrations were estimated from Gaussian plume dispersion models and linked to self-reported work histories. Quantitative measures of sensory and motor nerve function were obtained 4-6 years after the disaster during a clinical exam restricted to those living close to two clinics in Mobile, AL or New Orleans, LA (n = 3401). We obtained covariate data from a baseline enrollment survey and a home visit, both in 2011-2013. The analytic sample included 1186 participants.
We did not find strong evidence of associations between exposure to PM and sensory or motor nerve function, although there was a suggestion of impairment based on single leg stance among individuals with high exposure to PM. Results were generally consistent whether we examined average or cumulative maximum exposures or removed individuals with the highest crude oil exposures to account for co-pollutant confounding. There was no evidence of exposure-response trends.
Remediating environmental disasters is essential for long-term human and environmental health. During the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, burning and flaring of oil and gas were used to remove these pollutants from the environment, but led to potentially high fine particulate matter exposures for spill response workers working on the water. We investigate the potential adverse effects of these exposures on peripheral nerve function; understanding the potential health harm of remediation tactics is necessary to inform future clean up approaches and protect human health.
在深水地平线石油泄漏应对和清理（OSRC）期间，石油/天然气燃烧/ flares 产生了高浓度的细颗粒物（PM）。在这些活动中在水上工作的人员可能吸入了燃烧产物。以前已经报道了 PM 的神经影响，但很少有研究检查灾难暴露后持续的影响。OSRC 工人在暴露后的几年中，短暂的高暴露与感觉和运动神经功能的不良影响之间的关联尚未进行检查。
我们评估了 OSRC 工人接触燃烧/ flares 相关 PM 与感觉和运动神经功能测量之间的关系。
从高斯烟羽扩散模型估算 PM 浓度，并将其与自我报告的工作历史相关联。在灾难发生后 4-6 年，在靠近 Mobile，AL 或 New Orleans，LA 的两个诊所中的一个进行了临床检查，获得了感觉和运动神经功能的定量测量（n=3401）。我们从基线入组调查和家庭访问中获得了协变量数据，这两项调查均在 2011-2013 年进行。分析样本包括 1186 名参与者。
我们没有发现暴露于 PM 与感觉或运动神经功能之间存在强烈关联的证据，尽管在高 PM 暴露个体中单腿站立时存在功能障碍的迹象。无论我们检查平均还是累积最大暴露，或者去除最高原始石油暴露个体以消除共污染物混杂，结果基本一致。没有暴露-反应趋势的证据。
修复环境灾难对于人类和环境的长期健康至关重要。在深水地平线石油泄漏灾难期间，燃烧和 flares 被用于从环境中去除这些污染物，但这导致了在水上工作的应急响应工人可能面临高浓度的细颗粒物暴露。我们调查了这些暴露对周围神经功能的潜在不良影响；了解修复策略的潜在健康危害对于指导未来的清理方法和保护人类健康是必要的。
