Assessing exposures from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response and clean-up.

Details

• Personal Author:
  Arnold SF ; Banerjee S ; Blair, Austin ; Cherrie JW ; Christenbury K ; Engel LS ; Gorman Ng M ; Groth CP ; Huynh TB ; Kwok RK ; Pratt GC ; Ramachandran G ; Sandler DP ; Stenzel MR ; Stewart P
• Description:
  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. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergency Responders Hydrocarbons Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Oil And Gas Industry Respiratory System Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Deepwater Horizon; Total Hydrocarbons; PM2.5; Dispersant; Exposure Assessment Oil Industry; Oil Spills; Spill Cleanup; Disaster Clean-up; Exposure Assessment; Occupational Exposure; Emergency Responders; Inhalation Studies; Hydrocarbons; Dispersion;
• ISSN:
  2398-7308
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Maryland ; Minnesota ; North Carolina ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9 ; Pennsylvania ; Virginia ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  66
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20064948
• Citation:
  Ann Work Expo Health 2022 Apr; 66(Suppl 1):i3-i22
• Contact Point Address:
  Patricia Stewart, Stewart Exposure Assessments, LLC, 6045 N. 27th. St., Arlington, VA 22207, USA
• Email:
  trish_stenzeleaapps@hotmail.com
• CAS Registry Number:
  Benzene (CAS RN 71-43-2) ; Ethylbenzene (CAS RN 100-41-4) ; Hexane (CAS RN 110-54-3) ; Toluene (CAS RN 108-88-3) ; Xylene (CAS RN 1330-20-7)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2022
• Performing Organization:
  Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20160901
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Work Exposures and Health
• Supplement:
  1
• End Date:
  20190831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:75fb1465fa16ac5e06a9ca7c427b554116fed47b3ffc84c92fcaef0826a304e67b06847a0f846f9256b89b9521112ed9be9c2a2b7851c699e786c204d9f0a271
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/248627/cdc_248627_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.22 MB ]