July 07, 2010 Louisiana LDH Releases Oil Spill-Related Exposure Information199 Exposure-Related Cases; Officials Continue to Monitor Health Impacts

BATON ROUGE, Jul 07, 2010 - One hundred and ninety-nine cases of oil spill exposure-related cases have been reported to the Louisiana Department of Health (DHH) to date, according to its fifth surveillance report released today. One hundred and sixty-six of those cases involved workers on oil rigs or workers involved in the oil spill clean-up efforts, while 33 were reported by the general public.

The Department is gathering data reported through its surveillance network of doctors, clinics, emergency care locations and medical facilities, which are reporting illnesses and injuries related to the oil spill for the ongoing database. Each exposure-related complaint is followed up on by LDH Office of Public Health staff.

This week's report also includes updated summaries of air surveillance and seafood surveillance data generated by state and federal agencies, including the EPA, the Center for Toxicology and Environmental ! Health, a private company working with BP, and the Louisiana departments of Wildlife and Fisheries, and Environmental Quality. The seafood data shows that 317 samples of various kinds of seafood have been sampled and tested for chemicals present in hydrocarbons.

Breakdown of Cases by Category:

Of the workers who reported illnesses, 151 were male, 15 were female. Of the general public, eight were male, while 25 were female. Most of those individuals who reported illnesses were between the ages of 18 and 64.
Most workers and members of the general public either utilized an emergency room, or urgent care center, clinic or physician's office (101 and 48, respectively). Thirty-seven individuals called the Louisiana Poison Center's hotline. Seventeen individuals mild symptoms had short hospitalizations.
Questions about exposure-related illnesses can be directed to the Louisiana Poison Center: 1-800-222-1222. The Poison Center is staffed 24-hours a day and can provide medical management advice. To report an exposure-related illness, call 1-888-293-7020.

The full Oil Spill Surveillance Report is available here. The report will be generated by LDH weekly and posted on LDH Website.

DHH's Office of Public Health, Section of Environmental Epidemiology & Toxicology gathers and analyzes information provided by surveillance sites, inclu! ding hospital emergency departments, outpatient clinics, physician's offices and the Louisiana Poison Center.

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