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The Effects of Oil on Clean-Up Workers

An oil spill can be a catastrophic event both socially and environmentally, provoking severe deterioration of ecosystems, long-term human health problems in the area and considerable economic losses. In terms of public health, however, few populations are as exposed to the threats of crude oil as clean-up and relief workers, a population that receives fairly little attention in oil-spill impact assessments. Depending on the duration of work in the disaster area and the nature of the work done by each worker, clean-up workers risk a number of health conditions.

  1. Short-term Exposure

    • Even short-term exposure to high concentrations (acute exposure) of crude oil and the related chemicals found in crude oil mixtures can produce immediate health effects. Many clean-up and relief workers describe a range of symptoms like skin and throat irritation, headaches, eye irritation, nausea and dizziness during or shortly after their work. In a few cases of exposure to especially high concentrations, swelling and damage to the skin or mucus membranes can become permanent. Furthermore, central nervous system symptoms like headaches or dizziness can cause workers to become disoriented and put them at risk for longer periods of exposure.

    Long-Term Exposure

    • Long-term exposure (chronic exposure), even to relatively low levels of crude oil contamination, can cause serious medical conditions, including kidney, liver or lung damage, immunological disorders, hormone imbalances, cancer, infertility and genetic disorders. While long-term threats are more of a concern for inhabitants of the area than relief workers who tend to leave the area after a spill, sustained clean-up efforts, like the ones seen after many large oil spills, can keep workers in the area for several months and expose them to chronic crude oil contamination.

    Severe Cases

    • Ingestion, acute exposure to very high concentrations of oil or especially prolonged chronic exposure to crude oil can be fatal. Crude oil is actually a mixture of hundreds of different hydrocarbons and chemical compounds found in subterranean oil deposits, so that exposure to crude oil can involve exposure to hundreds of different toxins. These diverse toxins also behave differently in the environment. Benzene, a particularly toxic hydrocarbon, for instance, vaporizes at room temperature, while other compounds dissolve in water or remain solid. As a result, a number of pathways exist for crude oil exposure, and workers are at a particular risk of experiencing numerous types of complementary exposure during clean-up operations.

    Mental Health

    • As in most crisis and disaster situations, relief workers in an oil spill report especially high levels of stress and mental disturbances. Particularly in unpredictable situations involving dangerous contaminants like an oil spill, workers experience extreme levels of stress and anxiety. While these conditions can initially help workers by increasing their bodies' production of adrenaline, over time stress can suppress immune system functioning and lead to a variety of stress-induced psychological disorders. "The New England Journal of Medicine," for example, reported a dramatic rise in calls to mental health facilities in the Gulf area after the 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico, many of which came from relief and clean-up workers.

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