Development of a Total Hydrocarbon Ordinal Job-Exposure Matrix for Workers Responding to the Deepwater Horizon Disaster: The GuLF STUDY

Details

• Personal Author:
  Banerjee S ; Blair, Austin ; Engel LS ; Groth CP ; Huynh TB ; Kwok RK ; Ramachandran G ; Sandler DP ; Stenzel MR ; Stewart PA
• Description:
  The GuLF STUDY is a cohort study investigating the health of workers who responded to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. The objective of this effort was to develop an ordinal job-exposure matrix (JEM) of airborne total hydrocarbons (THC), dispersants, and particulates to estimate study participants' exposures. Information was collected on participants' spill-related tasks. A JEM of exposure groups (EGs) was developed from tasks and THC air measurements taken during and after the spill using relevant exposure determinants. THC arithmetic means were developed for the EGs, assigned ordinal values, and linked to the participants using determinants from the questionnaire. Different approaches were taken for combining exposures across EGs. EGs for dispersants and particulates were based on questionnaire responses. Considerable differences in THC exposure levels were found among EGs. Based on the maximum THC level participants experienced across any job held, approx. 14% of the subjects were identified in the highest exposure category. Approximately 10% of the cohort was exposed to dispersants or particulates. Considerable exposure differences were found across the various EGs, facilitating investigation of exposure-response relationships. The JEM is flexible to allow for different assumptions about several possibly relevant exposure metrics. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cohort Studies Emergencies Emergency Responders Hydrocarbons Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Deepwater Horizon Cohort Studies Dispersants Emergency Responders Emergency Response Exposure Assessment JEM Job Exposure Matrix Oil Drilling Oil Spills Particulate Total Hydrocarbons

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• ISSN:
  1559-0631
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Illinois ; Maryland ; Minnesota ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Pennsylvania ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  223-230
• Volume:
  28
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064086
• Citation:
  J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 2018 May; 28(3):223-230
• Contact Point Address:
  Dr Dale P. Sandler, Epidemiology Branch, NIEHS, PO Box 12233, MD A3-05, 111 TW Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2233, USA
• Email:
  Dale.Sandler@nih.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:586824d9c983fd5510035e0a8fa66a2d383ae5acdb8129f03270c3b20dc56a3fede70c8d03324492cd30f6e154c01565b2c99dc506e60a7ec3f802be21de70e3
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222610/cdc_222610_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 214.05 KB ]