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Worker Health & Safety Information
Firedoglake is collecting data on oil spill cleanup worker health and safety information. We will be updating this page as information becomes available, so be sure to check back often.
Louisiana Dept. of Health Worker Illness and Injury Data Last Updated: 6/29/2010
The following information comes from the Louisiana Office of Public Health (OPH) Section of Environmental Epidemiology & Toxicology (SEET). It is updated on a weekly basis and tracks acute health effects related to the BP oil disaster.
Working in oil spill related activity when exposed
| Activity | # Workers | # Residents |
|---|---|---|
| Cleanup unspecified | 57 | |
| Sheen busting | 8 | |
| Boom deployment | 9 | |
| Offshore work | 4 | |
| Oil rig | 23 | |
| Burning | 2 | |
| Skimming | 3 | |
| Other worker (not oil) | 12 | |
| Home | 29 | |
| Beach walking | 1 | |
| Boating | 0 | |
| Swimming | 2 | |
| Fishing | 1 | |
| Total | 118 | 33 |
Health care utilization
| Type of health care | # Workers | # Residents |
|---|---|---|
| Call, no care delivered | 2 | 21 |
| Emergency department/Urgent care | 104 | 7 |
| Clinic/Physician office | 21 | 6 |
| Hospitalization (± 1 day) | 19 | 2 |
| Total | 127 | 2 |
Source of Report
| Source | Total |
|---|---|
| Poison Control Center PCC | 39 |
| Emergency Department | 84 |
| Urgent care/Physician/Clinic | 36 |
| Hotline | 3 |
| Total | 162 |
Exposure to (not validated)
| Source | # Workers | # Residents |
|---|---|---|
| Polluted water | 5 | 1 |
| Tar ball | 2 | 0 |
| Liquid oil | 32 | 1 |
| Odor and fumes | 30 | 28 |
| Emulsified oil / Dispersant | 51 | 2 |
| Heavy equipment | 0 | 0 |
| Heat | 20 | 0 |
| Wildlife | 0 | 0 |
| Seafood | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 140 | 32 |
Route of exposure
| Route | # Workers | # Residents |
|---|---|---|
| Odor/inhalation | 74 | 29 |
| Eye contact | 4 | 1 |
| Skin contact | 17 | 1 |
| Ingestion | 0 | 1 |
| Other | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 95 | 32 |
Location of Exposure
| Location | # Workers | # Residents |
|---|---|---|
| Plaquemines | 16 | 5 |
| St. Bernard | 2 | 3 |
| Orleans | 1 | 10 |
| Jefferson | 14 | 9 |
| St. Tammany | 0 | 5 |
| Lafourche | 8 | 0 |
| Terrebonne | 14 | 0 |
| Other Parish | 0 | 0 |
| Offshore | 59 | 1 |
| Total | 114 | 33 |
Types of illness
| Location | Symptom | # Workers | # Residents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Respiratory | Nose irritation | 5 | 3 |
| Respiratory | Nose bleed | 1 | 0 |
| Respiratory | Throat irritation | 27 | 15 |
| Respiratory | Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing | 15 | 5 |
| Respiratory | Aggravation of existing asthma | 0 | 4 |
| Respiratory | Aggravation of existing respiratory illness (COPD)/other | 1 | 2 |
| Respiratory | Cough | 22 | 9 |
| Respiratory | Other | 1 | 3 |
| Eye | Eye irritation | 14 | 14 |
| Eye | Other, blurry vision | 4 | 0 |
| Gastrointestinal | Nausea | 36 | 9 |
| Gastrointestinal | Vomiting | 26 | 0 |
| Gastrointestinal | Diarrhea | 11 | 1 |
| Cardiovascular | Chest pain | 14 | 3 |
| Cardiovascular | Irregular beat/rapid beat | 7 | 1 |
| Cardiovascular | Aggravation of existing cardiovascular disease | 0 | 0 |
| Skin | Rashes | 10 | 0 |
| Skin | Other | 9 | 2 |
| Other | Headache | 42 | 15 |
| Other | Dizziness | 19 | 3 |
| Other | Tremors | 3 | 0 |
| Other | Syncope | 4 | 0 |
| Patients* | 128 | 34 |
*Cases may be counted in more than 1 category.
BP Worker Illness & Injury Data
Below is BP’s record of worker illness and injury from April 22nd through July 4th, 2010.