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INTRODUCTION
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon, a semisubmersible offshore drilling rig in the
Gulf of Mexico, exploded. The well that the rig was drilling began to spew crude oil into the
Gulf and continued to spew millions of liters of crude oil, until it was successfully capped in
mid-July. This oil spill is unprecedented in its size, duration, and deep-water nature and in the
use of dispersants and controlled burns in an attempt to ameliorate the spill. The potential for
human health effects linked to exposure to the oil in the environment and to the dispersants and
fumes from the controlled burns is of concern. Mental and behavioral health effects due to the
temporary or permanent loss of livelihoods among the individuals in the fishing community and
oil workers and uncertainty about the health of their environment and when they can return to
work are also of concern.
Although studies of previous oil spills provide some basis for identifying and mitigating
the human health effects of oil spills, the existing data are insufficient to provide a full
understanding of and to be able to predict the overall impact of hazards from the Gulf of Mexico
oil spill on the health of individuals—including workers, volunteers, residents, visitors, and
special populations.1 Many of the previous studies were designed to evaluate short-term health
effects only and dealt with spills that were finite in volume and time (for example, the Exxon
Valdez and Prestige spills in 1989 and 2002, respectively). Aiming to fill the gap in knowledge
on the health effects of oil spills, as well as to assemble information that can be used for
prevention of adverse health outcomes and interventions against such outcomes in any similar
disasters in the future, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) plans to
conduct a study designed to investigate potential short- and long-term health effects among
workers engaged in cleanup activities linked to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. That study, the Gulf
Long-Term Follow-Up Study for Oil Spill Clean-Up Workers and Volunteers (the GuLF study),
aims not to study a few narrow hypotheses but, rather, aims to allow the investigation of a wide
range of potential adverse health effects, including physical, psychological, and biological
effects.
As part of its ongoing commitment to the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) to provide periodic independent reviews of the federal response to the Gulf of
Mexico oil spill as it relates to the surveillance and monitoring of acute and long-term physical
and behavioral health effects, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) convened the Committee to
Review the Federal Response to the Health Effects Associated with the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill.
As part of its work, the committee planned a workshop to bring together experts to review and
make comments on the GuLF study protocol, which was published on the IOM website just
before the conference.2 This document highlights the presentations and discussions that occurred
during the workshop, which was held on September 22, 2010, in Tampa, Florida. The workshop
agenda can be found in the Appendix.
1
IOM (Institute of Medicine). 2010. Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
2
The version of the GuLF study protocol that the workshop participants provided comments on can be accessed at
http://iom.edu/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/PublicHealth/FedResponseOilSpill/GuLF%20Study%20Protocol%2
0DRAFT%20to%20IOM%202010-09-17.pdf.
1
