Incidence of chronic respiratory conditions among oil spill responders: Five years of follow-up in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort study
[1];
[5]
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD (United States)
- Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD (United States); Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- US Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC (United States). Directorate of Health, Safety, and Work Life
- Social & Scientific Systems, Durham, NC (United States)
- Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)
Background: Over ten years after the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill, our understanding of long term respiratory health risks associated with oil spill response exposures is limited. Here we conducted a prospective analysis in a cohort of U.S. Coast Guard personnel with universal military healthcare. Methods: For all active duty cohort members (N = 45,193) in the DWH Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort Study we obtained medical encounter data from October 01, 2007 to September 30, 2015 (i.e., ~2.5 years pre-spill; ~5.5 years post-spill). We used Cox Proportional Hazards regressions to calculate adjusted hazard ratios (aHR), comparing risks for incident respiratory conditions/symptoms (2010–2015) for: responders vs. non-responders; responders reporting crude oil exposure, any inhalation of crude oil vapors, and being in the vicinity of burning crude oil versus responders without those exposures. We also evaluated self-reported crude oil and oil dispersant exposures, combined. Within-responder comparisons were adjusted for age, sex, and smoking. Results: While elevated aHRs for responder/non-responder comparisons were generally weak, within-responder comparisons showed stronger risks with exposure to crude oil. Notably, for responders reporting exposure to crude oil via inhalation, there were elevated risks for all sinusitis (aHR = 1.48; 95%CI, 1.06–2.06), unspecified chronic sinusitis (aHR = 1.55; 95%CI, 1.08–2.22), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other allied conditions (aHR = 1.43; 95%CI, 1.00–2.06), and dyspnea and respiratory abnormalities (aHR = 1.29; 95%CI, 1.00–1.67); there was a suggestion of elevated risk for diseases classified as asthma and reactive airway diseases (aHR = 1.18; 95%CI, 0.98–1.41), including the specific condition, asthma (aHR = 1.35; 95%CI, 0.80–2.27), the symptom, shortness of breath (aHR = 1.50; 95%CI, 0.89–2.54), and the overall classification of chronic respiratory conditions (aHR = 1.18; 95%CI, 0.98–1.43). Exposure to both crude oil and dispersant was positively associated with elevated risk for shortness of breath (HR = 2.24; 95%CI, 1.09–4.64). Conclusions: Among active duty Coast Guard personnel, oil spill clean-up exposures were associated with moderately increased risk for longer term respiratory conditions.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Institutes of Health (NIH)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0014664; RO1ES020874
- OSTI ID:
- 1981602
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1868765
- Journal Information:
- Environmental Research, Vol. 203, Issue C; ISSN 0013-9351
- Publisher:
- ElsevierCopyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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