Study: Health Effects of Oil Spill

A study conducted in late July 2010 jump-starts the conversation of the mental and physical health effects of the BP oil spill on the local population.

Conducted in late July 2010, the study was sponsored by the Children's Health Fund and conducted by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness. It is considered the first major survey on the psychological toll of the coastal crisis.

"As the 'acute phase' of the oil spill transitions to a longer-term 'chronic phase'," the report states, the focus of the study is the short and potential long-term impact of the disaster, especially on children.

Included in some of the topics that were explored in the "Coastal Population Impact Study" were:

Exposure: What proportion of the population living within a 10-mile radius of the coastline had been directly exposed to the oil spill? Were some groups within that area more likely than others to be exposed?

Effects on Children: What were the immediate and perceived long-term physical and mental health effects of the oil spill on children and on adults? What economic effects of the oil spill have been felt by the coastal population?

Decisions: How has the oil spill begun to shape decisions faced by coastal residents? This includes such daily decisions as where children can play or whether local seafood is safe to eat, as well as projected decisions about whether or not people think they will have to move.

Trust: Which public officials are most trusted to provide accurate and reliable information, and who is perceived to have been most (or least) responsive to the oil spill crisis? Do coastal residents have a trusted source for health information about the effects of the oil spill?

According to the study, some of their key findings include:

"Over 40% of the population living within ten miles of the coast had experienced some direct exposure to the oil spill."

"Over one-third of parents reported that their children had experienced either physical symptoms or mental health distress as a consequence of the oil spill."

"One in five households has seen their income decrease as a result of the oil spill, and eight percent have lost jobs. Only five percent of coastal residents reported having received any cash or gift cards from BP, although over fifteen percent believe they may be eligible for compensation from BP for health consequences of the spill."

"Over one-quarter of coastal residents think they may have to move from the area because of the oil spill."

"Much the way Hurricane Katrina had its greatest effect on those populations with the fewest economic resources, the Deepwater oil spill has also had its greatest impact among those with the least. Coastal residents earning less than $25,000 annual household income were more likely to report having lost income than those earning more, more likely to think they would have to move, more likely to report an effect on children's ability to play on the coast or in the Gulf waters, and more likely to report physical and mental health effects among their children."

To read the entire report, click here for a link to the "Preliminary Findings of the Coastal Population Impact Survey".