Determinants of oil-spill cleanup participation following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Association between spill-related exposure to fine particulate matter and peripheral motor and sensory nerve function among oil spill response and cleanup workers following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

BACKGROUND

Burning/flaring of oil/gas during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response and cleanup (OSRC) generated high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Personnel working on the water during these activities may have inhaled combustion products. Neurologic effects of PM2.5 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.

OBJECTIVES

We assessed the relationship between exposure to burning/flaring-related PM2.5 and measures of sensory and motor nerve function among OSRC workers.

METHODS

PM2.5 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.

RESULTS

We did not find strong evidence of associations between exposure to PM2.5 and sensory or motor nerve function, although there was a suggestion of impairment based on single leg stance among individuals with high exposure to PM2.5. 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.

IMPACT STATEMENT

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.

Coping with oil spills: oil exposure and anxiety among residents of Gulf Coast states after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

In April 2010, a fatal explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in the largest marine oil spill in history. This research describes the association of oil exposure with anxiety after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and evaluates effect modification by self-mastery, emotional support and cleanup participation. To assess the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted the Gulf States Population Survey (GSPS), a random-digit-dial telephone cross-sectional survey completed between December 2010 and December 2011 with 38,361 responses in four different Gulf Coast states: Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi. Anxiety severity was measured using the Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptom inventory. We used Tobit regression to model underlying anxiety as a function of oil exposure and hypothesised effect modifiers, adjusting for socio-demographics. Latent anxiety was higher among those with direct contact with oil than among those who did not have direct contact with oil in confounder-adjusted models [β = 2.84, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78, 4.91]. Among individuals with direct contact with oil, there was no significant interaction between participating in cleanup activities and emotional support for anxiety (p = 0.20). However, among those with direct contact with oil, in confounder-adjusted models, participation in oil spill cleanup activities was associated with lower latent anxiety (β = -3.55, 95% CI: -6.15, -0.95). Oil contact was associated with greater anxiety, but this association appeared to be mitigated by cleanup participation.

Superhydrophobic-superoleophilic biochar-based foam for high-efficiency and repeatable oil-water separation

Leakage accidents occurring during oil production and transportation are currently one of the most serious environmental problems worldwide. Developing efficient and environmentally friendly oil-water separation methods is the key to solve this problem. In this work, a facile method to fabricate a high-performance oil absorbent through the loading of ball-milled biochar (BMBC) and octadecylamine on the skeleton of melamine foam (MF) is reported. The resulting ball-milled biochar-based MF (BMBC@MF) displayed a complex three-dimensional porous structure. The BM biochar on the surface of BMBC@MF forms nano/μm-scale folds, which reduced the surface energy of BMBC@MF after grafted octadecylamine. These structures resulted in the conversion of the hydrophilic surface of MF to hydrophobic surface. These characteristics made the modified foam an excellent oil absorbent with a high oil absorption capacity (43-155 times its own weight) and extraordinary recyclability. Furthermore, the BMBC@MF could maintain high hydrophobicity and adsorption stability in a wide pH range (from 1 to 11). More importantly, BM biochar is a cheap and readily available material to make BMBC@MF possible for large-scale production. Therefore, this work provides an effective way for low-cost, environmentally friendly, and large-scale production of superhydrophobic adsorbents for oil-water separation.

Conceptualizing and Capturing Outcomes of Environmental Cleanup at Contaminated Sites

Our article analyzes interdisciplinary literature within the social sciences on outcomes of environmental cleanups at Superfund, brownfield, and other contaminated sites. By focusing on postremediation sites and outcomes, we expand the understanding of the sociopolitical life of contaminated sites over time. First, we examine the technoscientific practices of how scientists and environmental managers seek to make cleanup outcomes legible and meaningful. Next, we engage with a wider array of litera ture on pollution/toxicity, uncovering circular temporalities in cleanup processes along with continuities in pollution/toxicity and in political struggle. Finally, we examine the social worlds of postremediation landscapes, drawing attention to how cleanups create new relationships among people, history, and nature. In conclusion, we identify areas of opportunity for these insights to inform the conceptualization and evaluation of cleanup outcomes in ways that better incorporate the complex dynamics of postremediation social worlds.

Mechanisms of resiliency against depression following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Prior studies of oil spills have reported adverse impacts on mental health, but have not examined some potentially important moderators. In this cross-sectional analysis of n=38,361 responses to the 2010-2011 Gulf States Population Survey, we assessed the association of direct oil contact with depression severity following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and modification by self-mastery, emotional support, and cleanup participation using Tobit regression models accounting for the complex survey design. Oil contact was associated with increased depression severity. Among respondents with oil contact, depression was more severe for those reporting lower self-mastery. However, respondents with oil contact had lower depression severity if they participated in cleanup efforts, compared to exposed individuals who did not participate. This potential protective effect was larger for respondents with lower self-mastery. Our results are consistent with the notion that participation in recovery efforts may reduce depressive symptoms following oil spills among impacted individuals.