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Assessing Exposures from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response and Clean-up
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Assessing Exposures from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Response and Clean-up

Patricia Stewart, Caroline P Groth, Tran B Huynh, Melanie Gorman Ng, Gregory C Pratt, Susan F Arnold, Gurumurthy Ramachandran, Sudipto Banerjee, John W Cherrie, Kate Christenbury, …
Annals of work exposures and health, v 66(Suppl 1), pp i3-i22
07 Apr 2022
PMID: 35390131
url
https://academic.oup.com/annweh/article-pdf/66/Supplement_1/i3/43904913/wxab107.pdfView
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open
url
https://doi.org/10.1093/annweh/wxab107View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Bayes Theorem Dronabinol Humans Hydrocarbons - analysis Occupational Exposure - adverse effects Particulate Matter Petroleum Pollution - adverse effects
The GuLF Study is investigating adverse health effects from work on the response and clean-up after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil release. An essential and necessary component of that study was the exposure assessment. Bayesian statistical methods and over 135 000 measurements of total hydrocarbons (THC), benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, xylene, and n-hexane (BTEX-H) were used to estimate inhalation exposures to these chemicals for >3400 exposure groups (EGs) formed from three exposure determinants: job/activity/task, location, and time period. Recognized deterministic models were used to estimate airborne exposures to particulate matter sized 2.5 µm or less (PM2.5) and dispersant aerosols and vapors. Dermal exposures were estimated for these same oil-related substances using a model modified especially for this study from a previously published model. Exposures to oil mist were assessed using professional judgment. Estimated daily THC arithmetic means (AMs) were in the low ppm range (<25 ppm), whereas BTEX-H exposures estimates were generally <1000 ppb. Potential 1-h PM2.5 air concentrations experienced by some workers may have been as high as 550 µg m-3. Dispersant aerosol air concentrations were very low (maximum predicted 1-h concentrations were generally <50 µg m-3), but vapor concentrations may have exceeded occupational exposure excursion guidelines for 2-butoxyethanol under certain circumstances. The daily AMs of dermal exposure estimates showed large contrasts among the study participants. The estimates are being used to evaluate exposure-response relationships in the GuLF Study.

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Collaboration types
Industry collaboration
Domestic collaboration
International collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
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