Acute Health Effects Among Military Personnel Participating in the Cleanup of the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill, 2007, in Taean County, Korea

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study was conducted to investigate acute health effects and its related factors among military personnel participating in the cleanup of the 2007 Hebei Spirit oil spill accident in Taean county, Korea.MethodsWe collected data on acute symptoms during the cleanup and their predictors using a self-administered questionnaire to 2624 military personnel. Selfreported symptoms included six neurologic symptoms, five respiratory symptoms, two dermatologic symptoms, three ophthalmic symptoms, and three general symptoms. Independent variables were demographic factors (gender, age, education level, and rank), health behavioral factors (smoking history and usage of the personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves), and occupational history such as where and for how long individuals participated in cleanup.ResultsThe duration of work days was significantly associated with 17 acute symptoms except for itchiness and red skin.Working in Taean county also increased the risk of most acute symptoms except headache and back pain. In regard to personal protective equipment, wearing masks was mainly related to the development of respiratory symptoms such as sore throat and wearing other protective equipment was related to the development of sore throat, back pain, headache, and cough. Military personnel younger than 25 years reported 4.66 times more hot flushing and 5.39 times more itchiness than those older than 25 years.ConclusionIt should be emphasized that for early-stage cleanup the number of workers should be minimized, sufficient personal protective equipment with approved quality for blocking noxious gas should be supplied, and systematic health care for the workers should be provided. Health effects could be diminished by providing adequate education regarding the appropriate use of protective equipment, especially to nonprofessionals such as residents and volunteers. To make disaster response expeditious, a national and regional preparedness plans and a professional response team for emergency environmental assessment and emergency action should be established beforehand to make prompt decisions.

Neurological symptoms associated with oil spill response exposures: Results from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Coast Guard Cohort Study

“…Similar to our findings, a study on Hebei Spirit oil spill cleanup showed increased prevalence of neurological symptoms, such as headache and dizziness, among cleanup workers who wore PPE. ( Gwack et al, 2012 ) Although this appears counter-intuitive, it could be that ever use of oil PPE in this cross-sectional analysis is not a specific enough metric to be able to evaluate the potentially protective effects of PPE use and that rather it is a proxy for oil exposure, since, as expected, those never reporting oil PPE included a large number of responders who also reported not being exposed to oil. Another possible explanation is that responders wearing certain types of PPE such as Tyvek suits became hotter and experienced neurological symptoms as a result.…”

The deepwater horizon oil spill coast guard cohort study: A cross-sectional study of acute respiratory health symptoms

“…Other studies that have focused on intact PPE (e.g., worn and not torn) or education on use of PPE found an increased number of respiratory symptoms among those who had damaged PPE or were uninformed (Carrasco et al 2006; Sim et al 2010). However, Gwack et al have observed an association between correct use of specific PPE (masks) and the presence of respiratory symptoms (Gwack et al 2012); type of activities during that oil spill clean-up effort was not captured, and thus propensity of those using PPE to be more highly exposed could not be assessed. While use of a respirator was captured in the present study, the small number of individuals who reported respirator use limited the ability to carry out analyses and draw conclusions for this subgroup.…”

“…Also, these studies were limited in sample size, and were unable to identify vulnerable subgroups through stratification of relevant factors. Additionally, few studies have examined the impact of use of personal protective equipment (PPE) on respiratory effects among oil spill clean-up workers (Carrasco et al 2006; Gwack et al 2012; Lee et al 2009; Sim et al 2010; Suarez et al 2005; Zock et al 2007), which could provide valuable guidance on reducing risk among these disaster workers.…”

Deepwater Horizon oil spill exposures and nonfatal myocardial infarction in the GuLF STUDY

“…Research on past oil spills has shown some acute health consequences among clean-up workers and individuals from affected communities, including anxiety and post-traumatic stress [ 7 ], eye and skin irritation [ 8 ], and lower respiratory tract symptoms [ 9 ] up to one year following oil spill exposure. In several studies, longer durations of oil spill work were associated with acute respiratory symptoms, including among US Coast Guard personnel deployed to work on the Deepwater Horizon spill [ 10 ], and Hebei Spirit oil spill workers [ 11 ]. Persistent respiratory symptoms were observed among clean-up workers 5 years following the Prestige oil spill [ 12 ].…”