science

Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill rather than just read about it. In short: The wider health effects caused by the explosion and subsequent oil spill of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig are not fully known. An oil discharge continued in the Gulf of Mexico for 84 days, resulting in the largest oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, estimated at 206 million gallons (4.9 million barrels).

Key takeaways

Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The wider health effects caused by the explosion and subsequent oil spill of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig are not fully known. An oil discharge continued in the Gulf of Mexico for 84 days, resulting in the largest oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, estimated at 206 million gallons (4.9 million barrels). The spill exposed thousands of area residents and cleanup workers to risks associated with oil fumes, particulate matter from Controlled burns, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals. The spill was also notable for the volume of Corexit oil dispersant used to help disperse the oil. Although approved by the EPA, no toxicology studies had been done at this time. In 2011, a toxicology study was done and it reported 57 chemicals in the ingredients including chemicals associated with cancer, skin irritation from rashes to burns, eye irritation, potential respiratory toxins or irritants; and kidney toxins. At the height of operations (summer of 2010), response vessels numbered about 7,000 and personnel numbered over 47,000; as of January 2013, that figure has dropped to about 935. The maximum extent of shoreline oiling involved almost 1,100 miles of shoreline and as of December 2012, approximately 339 miles of oiled shoreline remained subject to evaluation and/or cleanup operations. Acute toxicity symptoms have been reported and the study of long-term medical and psychological effects is ongoing. As the largest marine oil spill in history, the potential for physical, psychological, and socioeconomic difficulties and long term effects remain unknown. Considering the number of residents and clean-up workers exposed, it has been seen as the most demanding on-water response in U.S. history. Only a few studies have looked at long-term health consequences, it is assumed that the spill's impacts are wide-reaching and will have long-lasting effects.

Reports of health effects

People can be exposed to the chemicals in oil by breathing them, swallowing, or touching them. Previous studies show consistent evidence of acute toxic effects, mainly neurological, ocular (eye), and respiratory, of those living in exposed communities and among clean-up workers. While the spill was ongoing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that some residents along the coast reported smelling odors and experiencing nausea, headaches, eye, nose, and throat irritation; however, the CDC said that their tests found that air quality levels for ozone and particulates were normal on the Gulf coastline for that time of year and odor-causing pollutants associated with petroleum products were being found at low levels." By 21 June 2010, 143 oil spill exposure cases had been reported to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals; 108 of those cases involved workers in the clean-up efforts, while 35 were reported by gulf residents. Writing in The Nation, Antonia Juhasz reported that according to the health departments of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, from June to September 2010, when they stopped keeping track, more than 700 people sought health services with complaints "believed to be related to exposure to pollutants from the oil spill." However, she believed the number to be much higher because in her numerous interviews covering over two years, most people did "not know to report their symptoms as related to the oil spill, nor did their physicians ask." The National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences is sponsoring a study, "Women and Their Children's Health" (WaTCH), which will follow the health issues of 2,500 women and 800 children living along the Louisiana coast. Initial information gathered from questionnaires answered by 224 women "shows a statistically significant relationship between their reported symptoms and exposure to the spill." In the initial period of exposure, the participants reported "wheezing; tightness in chest; shortness of breath; watery, burning or itchy eyes; stuffy, itchy or runny nose; burning in nose, throat or lungs; skin rash; sore or blisters lasting at least three days; severe headaches or migraines; nausea; excessive fatigue or tiredness; diarrhea; sore throat; and being unable to concentrate." In another study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and the Alabama Health Department similar health effects were recorded in two coastal counties in Alabama. A Columbia University study on health effects among children in Louisiana and Florida found that more than 40% of 1,437 parents living less than 10 miles (16 km) from the coast had been directly exposed to the spill and more than a third of the parents reported physical or mental health symptoms among their children.

Scientific evidence

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

In research: Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Epidemiological study projects, Health effects by subject, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in simple terms?

Why does Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.