#DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL SKIN#

The survey found that physical health problems were 4.5 times more common in children who had been directly exposed to oil, and in children whose parents had been exposed to oil smell.

Thirty percent of the parents said their child had experienced mental health issues such as feeling depressed or very sad, feeling nervous or afraid, having sleeping problems, or having problems getting along with other children.

#DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL SKIN#

In the interviews, 60 percent of the parents reported that their child had experienced physical health problems - defined as respiratory symptoms, vision problems, skin problems, headaches, and unusual bleeding - at some time after Deepwater Horizon. They collected information such as whether the child or parent had been in contact with oil, whether the household was economically impacted, and the health status of the child and parent. To find out how the oil spill might be affecting children in the area, in 2014, the researchers interviewed 720 parents and caregivers who lived in Louisiana communities highly impacted by the oil spill. Children can also suffer from secondary impacts if a parent loses their job, if their daily routines are disrupted, or if others in the family feel distressed or suffer health problems. Direct exposure to oil, dispersants, and burned oil can cause itchy eyes, trouble breathing, headache, dizziness, rashes, and blisters, among other issues. The child might come into direct contact with the oil by touching it, inhaling it, or ingesting it. Oil spills have the potential to affect children in many ways. However, very few studies have evaluated the impacts of oil spills on children. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that disasters are associated with severe and long-lasting health impacts for children. Children are another vulnerable group, because their coping and cognitive capacities are still developing, and because they depend on caregivers for their medical, social, and educational needs.

The findings also show that 'the impacts of the oil spill on children's health appear to persist years after the disaster,' said Beedasy.ДЄlthough natural disasters don't discriminate, they do disproportionately harm vulnerable populations, such as people of color and people with lower incomes. The researchers hope their findings can inform future disaster recovery plans.

When interviewed in 2014, three out of five parents reported that their child had experienced physical health symptoms and nearly one third reported that their child had mental health issues after the oil spill. Led by Jaishree Beedasy from the National Center for Disaster Preparedness (NCDP) at Columbia University's Earth Institute, the study found that Gulf Coast children who were exposed to the oil spill - either directly, through physical contact with oil, or indirectly through economic losses - had a significantly higher likelihood of experiencing physical and mental health problems compared to kids who were not exposed. A study recently published in Environmental Hazards has found that the disaster was also harmful to the mental and physical health of children in the area.

Deepwater horizon oil spill