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Choi KH, Park MS, Lim MH, Hur JI, Noh SR, Jeong WC, Cheong HK, Ha M. Who has sustained psychological symptoms nine years after the Hebei Spirit oil spill?: The Health Effect Research on Hebei Spirit oil spill (HEROS) study. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 294:112936. [PMID: 34126528 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2021.112936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This study evaluated risk factors for sustained psychological symptoms in affected residents, nine years after the Hebei Spirit oil spill in Korea in 2007. The participants included residents of high-exposure areas, living within 2 km from the contaminated coast (n = 2013), among the cohort of the Health Effect Research on Hebei Spirit oil spill study from 2009 to 2016. Symptoms for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, psychosocial distress, and anxiety, as well as sociodemographic information were assessed through questionnaire interviews. Trajectory analysis was conducted to identify the group with sustained symptoms over time and logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for sustained symptoms adjusted for covariates. A longer duration of clean-up work, lower household income, and presence of a chronic disease in all type of symptoms, and being female, younger age, and higher educational level in all symptoms but PTSD, showed a significant association with increased risk of sustained symptoms. The highest risk was found in the subgroup with a longer clean-up together with offshore and maritime occupations or lower income in PTSD, depression, and anxiety, compared with those with a shorter clean-up and other occupation or higher income. Increased risk of sustained PTSD in relation to a longer clean-up was limited to those with a lower educational level (p-interaction = 0.009). The results suggested that participating longer in clean-up work increased sustained psychological symptoms, synergistically with socioeconomic factors such as offshore and maritime occupations, lower household income, or economic losses related to educational level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyung-Hwa Choi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Chungnam, Republic of Korea.
| | - Myung-Sook Park
- Taean Environmental Health Center, Taean, Chungnam, Republic of Korea.
| | - Myung Ho Lim
- Department of Psychology, Dankook University, Cheonan, Chungnam, Republic of Korea.
| | - Jong-Il Hur
- Taean Environmental Health Center, Taean, Chungnam, Republic of Korea.
| | - Su Ryeon Noh
- Department of Public Health and Environment, Kosin University, Busan, Republic of Korea.
| | - Woo-Chul Jeong
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
| | - Hae-Kwan Cheong
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, Gyeonggi, Republic of Korea.
| | - Mina Ha
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Chungnam, Republic of Korea.
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Amor-Carro Ó, White KM, Fraga-Iriso R, Mariñas-Pardo LA, Núñez-Naveira L, Lema-Costa B, Villarnovo M, Verea-Hernando H, Ramos-Barbón D. Airway Hyperresponsiveness, Inflammation, and Pulmonary Emphysema in Rodent Models Designed to Mimic Exposure to Fuel Oil-Derived Volatile Organic Compounds Encountered during an Experimental Oil Spill. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2020; 128:27003. [PMID: 32074461 PMCID: PMC7064321 DOI: 10.1289/ehp4178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fuel oil-derived volatile organic compounds (VOCs) inhalation is associated with accidental marine spills. After the Prestige petroleum tanker sank off northern Spain in 2002 and the Deepwater Horizon oil rig catastrophe in 2009, subjects involved in environmental decontamination showed signs of ongoing or residual lung disease up to 5 y after the exposure. OBJECTIVES We aimed at investigating mechanisms driving persistent respiratory disease by developing an animal model of inhalational exposure to fuel oil-derived VOCs. METHODS Female Wistar and Brown Norway (BN) rats and C57BL mice were exposed to VOCs produced from fuel oil mimicking the Prestige spill. Exposed animals inhaled the VOCs 2 h daily, 5 d per week, for 3 wk. Airway responsiveness to methacholine (MCh) was assessed, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung tissues were analyzed after the exposure and following a 2-wk washout. RESULTS Consistent with data from human studies, both strains of rats that inhaled fuel oil-derived VOCs developed airway hyperresponsiveness that persisted after the washout period, in the absence of detectable inflammation in any lung compartment. Histopathology and quantitative morphology revealed the development of peripherally distributed pulmonary emphysema, which persisted after the washout period, associated with increased alveolar septal cell apoptosis, microvascular endothelial damage of the lung parenchyma, and inhibited expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). DISCUSSION In this rat model, fuel oil VOCs inhalation elicited alveolar septal cell apoptosis, likely due to DNA damage. In turn, the development of a peculiar pulmonary emphysema pattern altered lung mechanics and caused persistent noninflammatory airway hyperresponsiveness. Such findings suggest to us that humans might also respond to VOCs through physiopathological pathways different from those chiefly involved in typical cigarette smoke-driven emphysema in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If so, this study could form the basis for a novel disease mechanism for lasting respiratory disease following inhalational exposure to catastrophic fuel oil spills. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4178.
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Affiliation(s)
- Óscar Amor-Carro
- Respiratory Research Unit, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario and the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
- Respiratory Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and the Biomedical Research Institute (IIb Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Kathryn M. White
- Respiratory Research Unit, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario and the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Rebeca Fraga-Iriso
- Respiratory Research Unit, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario and the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
- Respiratory Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and the Biomedical Research Institute (IIb Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Luis A. Mariñas-Pardo
- Respiratory Research Unit, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario and the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Laura Núñez-Naveira
- Respiratory Research Unit, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario and the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Beatriz Lema-Costa
- Respiratory Research Unit, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario and the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Marta Villarnovo
- Respiratory Research Unit, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario and the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Héctor Verea-Hernando
- Respiratory Research Unit, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario and the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
| | - David Ramos-Barbón
- Respiratory Research Unit, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario and the Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
- Respiratory Department, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and the Biomedical Research Institute (IIb Sant Pau), Barcelona, Spain
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Lopez-Campos JL, Marquez-Martin E, Soriano JB. The role of air pollution in COPD and implications for therapy. Expert Rev Respir Med 2016; 10:849-59. [DOI: 10.1080/17476348.2016.1191356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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Acosta-González A, Martirani-von Abercron SM, Rosselló-Móra R, Wittich RM, Marqués S. The effect of oil spills on the bacterial diversity and catabolic function in coastal sediments: a case study on the Prestige oil spill. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2015; 22:15200-14. [PMID: 25869434 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-4458-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
The accident of the Prestige oil tanker in 2002 contaminated approximately 900 km of the coastline along the northern Spanish shore, as well as parts of Portugal and France coast, with a mixture of heavy crude oil consisting of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, alkanes, asphaltenes and resins. The capacity of the autochthonous bacterial communities to respond to the oil spill was assessed indirectly by determining the hydrocarbon profiles of weathered oil samples collected along the shore, as well as through isotope ratios of seawater-dissolved CO2, and directly by analyses of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis fingerprints and 16S rRNA gene libraries. Overall, the results evidenced biodegradation of crude oil components mediated by natural bacterial communities, with a bias towards lighter and less substituted compounds. The changes observed in the Proteobacteria, the most abundant phylum in marine sediments, were related to the metabolic profiles of the sediment. The presence of crude oil in the supratidal and intertidal zones increased the abundance of Alpha- and Gammaproteobacteria, dominated by the groups Sphingomonadaceae, Rhodobacteraceae and Chromatiales, whilst Gamma- and Deltaproteobacteria were more relevant in subtidal zones. The phylum Actinobacteria, and particularly the genus Rhodococcus, was a key player in the microbial response to the spill, especially in the degradation of the alkane fraction. The addition of inorganic fertilizers enhanced total biodegradation rates, suggesting that, in these environments, nutrients were insufficient to support significant growth after the huge increase in carbon sources, as evidenced in other spills. The presence of bacterial communities able to respond to a massive oil input in this area was consistent with the important history of pollution of the region by crude oil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Acosta-González
- Department of Environmental Protection, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Profesor Albareda 1, 18008, Granada, Spain
- Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de La Sabana, Autopista Norte km 7, Chía, Cundinamarca, Colombia
| | - Sophie-Marie Martirani-von Abercron
- Department of Environmental Protection, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Profesor Albareda 1, 18008, Granada, Spain
| | - Ramon Rosselló-Móra
- Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, IMEDEA, CSIC-UIB, C/. Miquel Marqués 21, 07190, Esporles, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Regina-Michaela Wittich
- Department of Environmental Protection, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Profesor Albareda 1, 18008, Granada, Spain
| | - Silvia Marqués
- Department of Environmental Protection, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, Profesor Albareda 1, 18008, Granada, Spain.
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Crego-Prieto V, Danancher D, Campo D, Perez J, Garcia-Vazquez E, Roca A. Interspecific introgression and changes in population structure in a flatfish species complex after the Prestige accident. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2013; 74:42-49. [PMID: 23932420 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.07.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2013] [Revised: 07/15/2013] [Accepted: 07/16/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Oil spills cause aggressive impacts on marine ecosystems affecting immense areas and the species inhabiting them. If wastes are not cleaned up properly, the remnants may affect local populations for a long time. This work focuses on the long-term impacts of the Prestige spillage that occurred off Galician coast (Spain) in November 2002. Model species were two sympatric flatfish, the megrims Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis and Lepidorhombus boscii. Samples obtained before and nine years after the Prestige accident from affected and unaffected areas were genotyped for six hypervariable nuclear markers and for the mitochondrial D-loop sequence. The results revealed a high proportion of post-F1 interspecific hybrids in the area affected, and also increased intraspecific population differentiation likely due to such localized introgression of foreign genes. These changes suggest the appearance of a hybrid zone following the accident and emphasize the need of paying special attention to potential evolutionary impacts of oil spills.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Crego-Prieto
- University of Oviedo, Department of Functional Biology. C/ Julian Claveria s/n, 33003 Oviedo, Spain.
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Ha M, Kwon H, Cheong HK, Lim S, Yoo SJ, Kim EJ, Park SG, Lee J, Chung BC. Urinary metabolites before and after cleanup and subjective symptoms in volunteer participants in cleanup of the Hebei Spirit oil spill. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2012; 429:167-173. [PMID: 22591993 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.04.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2011] [Revised: 04/09/2012] [Accepted: 04/10/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND On December 7th, 2007, the Hong Kong tanker Hebei Spirit (HS) (146,848 tons) was crushed by a crane ship near the shore of Taean, Korea. More than 12,547 kl of crude oil spilled into the sea and contaminated the western coastline of the Korean peninsula. For a period of six months after the accident, approximately 1,000,000 volunteers participated in the cleanup. Our goal in this study was to examine the exposure status and acute health effects on volunteers that participated in the oil spill cleanup. METHODS A survey questionnaire was filled out by 565 volunteers, requesting information regarding physical symptoms. Out of the total number of participants, urine samples from 105 university student volunteers were collected before and after the cleanup work, and metabolite levels of volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were analyzed. RESULTS Volunteers that participated for longer cleanup work reported an increase in physical symptoms including visual disturbance, nasal and bronchus irritation, headaches, heart palpitations, fatigue and fever, memory and cognitive disturbance, and abdominal pain. The levels of t,t-muconic acid, mandelic acid, and 1-hydroxypyrene were significantly higher in samples after cleanup than those measured before participation (p<0.05). Other than the associated risk of dermal irritation with the difference in the t,t-muconic acid level between the post- to pre-cleanup levels, no other physical symptoms demonstrated a significant association with changes observed in the levels of urinary metabolites. CONCLUSIONS Based on the significant increase of subjective symptoms in volunteers participating in the study, monitoring of the long term health effects, focusing on those with longer exposure, is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Ha
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Republic of Korea.
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