Thousands of Gulf Oil Spill Workers Participating in Health Study

November 2011 – Gulf Coast – Workers who aided in the cleanup efforts following the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion are the target of a new health study. Their participation in the ongoing cleanup of the largest crude oil spill in U.S. history has provided a unique opportunity to determine the short-and long-term health risks these workers face.

NOLA.com reports that the National Institutes of Health have secured nearly 2,800 participants in what is being regarded as the largest and most significant study of health effects after an oil spill. Chief epidemiologist Dale Sandler began the push for participants more than 8 months ago with a goal of 55,000 participants, so there is still a way to go before the real work can begin.

The focus of the study is to track the health status of workers who were involved in the cleanup efforts with hope that at least 20,000 of the initial participants could be tracked for a decade or longer. Participants were sought using the records from training programs the cleanup workers had to attend, plus employee records from BP and the cleanup contractors.

NIH’s target list contained 155,000 workers and volunteers who received telephone calls and letters starting in February 2011. Unfortunately, response has been slow, which the researchers believe is due to general distrust and an onslaught of other research requests.

Many workers have also received counsel from civil attorneys who advise clients not to participate in these studies. Outdated contact information and general lack of communication response also factor into the low participation levels, according to Sandler.

Still, the NIH is not giving up on their goals and have begun to fulfill their need for participants in other ways. Sandler completed a tour of the Gulf Coast to attend community meetings and speak with local health authorities about the need for participation. Her 4-day tour took her along the Louisiana-Mississippi coast where she met with several workers, volunteers and Gulf Coast residents.

If you are a maritime worker or volunteer who was involved with the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and spill cleanup efforts or are a coastal resident of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida or eastern Texas, you are encouraged to participate. More information can be found on the NIH website, www.nihgulfstudy.org. 

Contact a Gulf Coast Maritime Law Attorney

Maritime law provides you with certain protections your employer may not want you to know about. A maritime law attorney from The Young Firm in New Orleans, Louisiana, can help you if you have suffered maritime offshore accident injuries in a horrible diving accident or other accident that falls under maritime law or the Jones Act. 

Though we are based in Louisiana, we are ready and able to help injured victims throughout the U.S. Order our free Maritime Injury Law guide and/or our guide to what to do when you are injured offshore to learn all about your rights as an injured worker.

When you are ready to get started with your Jones Act injury case, we urge you to contact us today for a FREE case evaluation – call 1-504-680-4100 or toll-free at 1-866-938-6113.