Federal Officials Don't Yet Know Health Impact Of Oil Spill

15th Jun 2010 22:38

By Shayndi Raice Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Federal health officials Tuesday said they don't yet know the extent of the health impact the Gulf of Mexico oil spill will have on workers who have come into contact with oil or the general population living along the Gulf Coast. "Because the oil spill in the Gulf region is unprecedented, we do not know the potential short- and long-term impacts of the spill on the health of workers or the region's general population," said Dr. Lisa Kaplowitz, a deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, testifying before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. "To date, none of these systems has documented any evidence of an increase in conditions that could be linked to oil or dispersant exposure," she added. Her agency is responsible for the monitoring of public health emergencies and on May 31 it set up a mobile medical unit with the Louisiana Department of Health. So far the government has handled 125 case reports on various medical impacts such as breathing and skin problems. Acute health effects linked to oil exposure could include skin and breathing issues, nausea, headaches as well as emotional health effects like anxiety. Children are especially susceptible to health risks because they have higher respiratory rates so they take in more of a toxin if it's in the atmosphere. Very young children also have relatively undeveloped immune systems, making them more susceptible than adults. No negative health impacts on children have been made to date. In her testimony, Kaplowitz said predictions as to the toxic threat of oil to humans is wide ranging, with some scientists predicting little to no threat, and others expressing serious concern about both short- and long-term exposure to oil and dispersants. The biggest health impact to date on workers, however, has been heat stroke, due to the exceedingly warm temperatures in the Gulf states. According to testimony provided by Centers for Disease Control Director Dr. John Howard, cleanup efforts have been slow because workers cannot stay in the sun for more than 15 minutes without requiring a 45 minute break. Howard said that although there is some research on possible acute health impacts after the 1986 Exxon-Valdez disaster, there was almost no long-term research. "One of the deficiencies there is that we were able to ascertain some acute effects but we didn't follow through for chronic effects," he said. "To be able to identify chronic effects, you have to start very early." Mike Taylor, a deputy commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration, said his agency has closed fisheries in the area as a precautionary measure and is in the process of surveying and testing seafood products to ensure that food is not contaminated. Because of those actions to date, Taylor said he is not concerned about the safety of the food currently coming from the Gulf Coast. Senate Health Chairman Tom Harkin (D., Iowa) said, "We also need to make sure the American people know what is and isn't a problem, so that they aren't scared away from eating food or visiting beaches that are perfectly safe." -By Shayndi Raice, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2672; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires June 15, 2010 17:38 ET (21:38 GMT)