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Environ Res

Title:		Exposure to volatile hydrocarbons and neurologic function among oil spill workers up to 6 years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster
Author(s):		Chen D; Werder EJ; Stewart PA; Stenzel MR; Gerr FE; Lawrence KG; Groth CP; Huynh TB; Ramachandran G; Banerjee S; Jackson Ii WB; Christenbury K; Kwok RK; Sandler DP; Engel LS;
Address:		"Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. Stewart Exposure Assessments, LLC, Arlington, VA, USA. Exposure Assessment Applications, LLC, Arlington, VA, USA. Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, IA, USA. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA. Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California - Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Social & Scientific Systems, Inc, a DLH Holdings Company, Durham, NC, USA. Population Studies and Genetics Branch, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD, USA. Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA. Electronic address: larry.engel@unc.edu"
Journal Title:		Environ Res
Year:		2023
Volume:		20230505
Issue:		Pt 1
Page Number:		116069 -
DOI:		10.1016/j.envres.2023.116069
ISSN/ISBN:		1096-0953 (Electronic) 0013-9351 (Print) 0013-9351 (Linking)
Abstract:		"BACKGROUND: During the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) disaster, oil spill response and cleanup (OSRC) workers were exposed to toxic volatile components of crude oil. Few studies have examined exposure to individual volatile hydrocarbon chemicals below occupational exposure limits in relation to neurologic function among OSRC workers. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of several spill-related chemicals (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, n-hexane, i.e., BTEX-H) and total petroleum hydrocarbons (THC) with neurologic function among DWH spill workers enrolled in the Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study. METHODS: Cumulative exposure to THC and BTEX-H across the oil spill cleanup period were estimated using a job-exposure matrix that linked air measurement data to detailed self-reported DWH OSRC work histories. We ascertained quantitative neurologic function data via a comprehensive test battery at a clinical examination that occurred 4-6 years after the DWH disaster. We used multivariable linear regression and modified Poisson regression to evaluate relationships of exposures (quartiles (Q)) with 4 neurologic function measures. We examined modification of the associations by age at enrollment (<50 vs. >/=50 years). RESULTS: We did not find evidence of adverse neurologic effects from crude oil exposures among the overall study population. However, among workers >/=50 years of age, several individual chemical exposures were associated with poorer vibrotactile acuity of the great toe, with statistically significant effects observed in Q3 or Q4 of exposures (range of log mean difference in Q4 across exposures: 0.13-0.26 mum). We also observed suggestive adverse associations among those >/= age 50 years for tests of postural stability and single-leg stance, although most effect estimates did not reach thresholds of statistical significance (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Higher exposures to volatile components of crude oil were associated with modest deficits in neurologic function among OSRC workers who were age 50 years or older at study enrollment"
Keywords:		Humans Middle Aged *Petroleum Pollution/adverse effects Follow-Up Studies *Disasters Hydrocarbons/toxicity *Petroleum/toxicity Crude oil Hydrocarbons Neurologic function Oil spill Peripheral nervous system Volatile organic compounds;
Notes:		"MedlineChen, Dazhe Werder, Emily J Stewart, Patricia A Stenzel, Mark R Gerr, Fredric E Lawrence, Kaitlyn G Groth, Caroline P Huynh, Tran B Ramachandran, Gurumurthy Banerjee, Sudipto Jackson Ii, W Braxton Christenbury, Kate Kwok, Richard K Sandler, Dale P Engel, Lawrence S eng R01 ES031127/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/ Netherlands 2023/05/07 Environ Res. 2023 Aug 15; 231(Pt 1):116069. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116069. Epub 2023 May 5"