Potential BP Gulf Oil Spill Health Effects

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by Dafé,

BP Gulf Oil Spill 2010 Health Effects

With a huge and unpredictable oil slick drifting in the Gulf of Mexico, state and federal authorities are preparing to deal with a variety of hazards to human health as the toxic mess washes ashore in large quantities. Already, it has drifted ashore on a limited scale, but more is yet to come if the oil spill continues to gush an estimated 1000 to 5000 barrels a day. So far it is estimated that 74,000 barrels or 3.1 million gallons of oil has been leaked.

The list of potential threats runs from minor nuisances such as runny noses and headaches to nausea. While waiting to see how bad things will get, public health agencies are monitoring air quality, drinking water supplies and seafood processing plants and advising people to take precautions.

“We don’t know how long this spill will last or how much oil we’ll be dealing with, so there’s a lot of unknowns,” said Dr. Jimmy Guidry, Louisiana’s state health director. “But we’re going to make things as safe as humanly possible.”

People working around the Gulf oil spill should be equipped with respirator devices and wear heavy-duty gloves and protective clothing to guard against painful skin rashes, said Gina Solomon, an associate professor at the University of California-San Francisco medical school and a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council who has treated patients exposed to oil fumes.

Attempts to control slick so far include:

Booms have been partly successful although rough seas have washed oil over them
Some controlled burning of oil has taken place, but it causes serious air pollution
About 325,000 gallons of dispersant have been used, although scientists warn it may kill marine life
A relief well is being drilled but could take many weeks
A huge steel funnel suffered a build-up of ice-like crystals and had to be put aside

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At Senate Oil Spill Hearings, Execs Point Fingers | free-personal-injury-lawyer | 16 May 2010, 23:15
[...] Potential BP Gulf Oil Spill Health Effects | MyDocHub Blog … [...]
At Senate Oil Spill Hearings, Execs Point Fingers | free-personal-injury-lawyer | 16 May 2010, 23:15
[...] Potential BP Gulf Oil Spill Health Effects | MyDocHub Blog … [...]
Top Kill: Will BP Stop The Oil Spill in The Gulf? | MyDocHub Blog - Online Health Community | 26 May 2010, 10:27
[...] health and environmental hazard posed by the 5 weeks of oil spill has devastated the Gulf region. Now BP intends on using the top kill to finally stop the oil [...]