ArticleJournal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology2026
Volatile hydrocarbon exposures and immune-related illnesses among Deepwater Horizon oil spill workers.
Article in Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Associations Between Oil Spill Exposure Patterns and Acute Symptoms in United States Coast Guard Responders During the Deepwater Horizon Response.American journal of industrial medicine · 2026Article
- Associations between airborne crude oil chemicals and neurological symptoms among workers in the gulf long-term follow-up study.The Science of the total environment · 2025Article
- Sublethal Dermal Toxicity of Drilling Fluid and Its Effects on Hematological, Biochemical and Histopathological Parameters in Rats.Dose-response : a publication of International Hormesis SocietyArticle
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundDespite evidence from experimental studies linking some petroleum hydrocarbons to markers of immune suppression, limited epidemiologic research exists on this topic.
objectiveThe aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine associations of oil spill related chemicals (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and n-hexane (BTEX-H)) and total hydrocarbons (THC) with immune-related illnesses as indicators of potential immune suppression.
methodsSubjects comprised 8601 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill clean-up and response workers who participated in a home visit (1-3 years after the DWH spill) in the Gulf Long-term Follow-up (GuLF) Study. Cumulative exposures to THC and individual BTEX-H constituents during the oil spill clean-up were estimated using a job-exposure matrix linking air measurement data to detailed participant work histories. Study outcomes included post-spill occurrence and/or frequency of illnesses ascertained at the home visit, including colds, flu, cold sores, pneumonia, and shingles. Frequent cold and frequent flu were defined as ≥4 colds and ≥2 episodes of flu since the spill, respectively. We examined an aggregate outcome of frequent colds, any flu, cold sores, or pneumonia since the spill. In single pollutant models, we used multivariable log-binomial regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between quartiles of THC and BTEX-H exposures with each outcome. We used quantile g-computation to estimate the joint effect of the BTEX-H mixture.
resultsWe observed positive associations of increasing quartiles of THC and BTEX-H with all outcomes except shingles, with evidence of an exposure-response for most outcomes. Strongest associations were observed for frequent flu (range of PR: 1.41-1.67). The BTEX-H mixture was associated with small to modest elevations in PRs for most outcomes. IMPACT STATEMENT: This study is the first to our knowledge to demonstrate an association between oil spill BTEX-H exposures and multiple immune-related illnesses as measures of potential immune suppression. Increasing oil spill-related volatile hydrocarbon exposures may increase the risk of multiple immune-related illnesses, especially frequent cold and frequent flu. Future research on this topic using more robust measures of immune function would advance existing evidence on this relationship.
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