January 28, 2014 — The chief National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ epidemiology branch on Tuesday morning said preliminary research is showing that Gulf Coast residents following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill do not appear to have higher chemical exposure than others across the nation.
Her short talk was a part of a day-long session on health, ecology and society in the context of resilience, one of 10 sessions that are part of the three-day Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference in Mobile, Ala., that lasts through Wednesday.
“Residents and oil spill cleanup workers worry about health symptoms,” said Dale Sandler, the epidemiology branch director. “These complaints have been encouraged by media reports, lawyers and advocates.”
Reports of supposed exposure to chemicals from the oil spill or its cleanup often “have been repeated over and over and continue to fan fear of having high levels of chemicals in your blood today.”
Read the full story at The Times-Picayune