Prolonged respiratory symptoms in clean-up workers of the prestige oil spill.
BACKGROUND
The wreckage of the oil tanker Prestige in November 2002 produced heavy contamination off the coast of Galicia, Spain.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the prevalence of respiratory symptoms in local fishermen more than 1 year after having participated in clean-up work.


METHODS
Questionnaires including qualitative and quantitative information about clean-up activities and respiratory symptoms were distributed among associates of 38 fishermen's cooperatives. Both postal and telephone follow-up was performed. The association between participation in clean-up work and respiratory symptoms was evaluated using multiple logistic regression analyses, adjusted for sex, age, and smoking status.


RESULTS
Between January 2004 and February 2005, data were obtained from 6,780 fishermen (response rate, 76%). Sixty-three percent had participated in clean-up operations. Lower respiratory tract symptoms (LRTS) were more prevalent in clean-up workers: odds ratio (OR), 1.73; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.54-1.94. This association was consistent for men and women, for different fishermen's cooperatives, and for different types of respiratory symptoms, and remained after excluding those who reported anxiety or believed that the oil spill had affected their health (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.37-1.80). The risk of LRTS increased with the number of exposed days, exposed hours per day, and number of activities (linear trend, P < 0.0001). The excess risk of LRTS decreased when more time had elapsed since last exposure: OR, 2.33, 1.69, and 1.24 for less than 14 months, 14-20 months, and more than 20 months, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Participation in clean-up work of oil spills may result in prolonged respiratory symptoms that last 1 to 2 years after exposure.
Zock
Jan-Paul
JP
Center for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Municipal Institute of Medical Research, Barcelona, Spain.
Rodríguez-Trigo
Gema
G
Pozo-Rodríguez
Francisco
F
Barberà
Joan A
JA
Bouso
Laura
L
Torralba
Yolanda
Y
Antó
Josep M
JM
Gómez
Federico P
FP
Fuster
Carme
C
Verea
Héctor
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004190:Disasters; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005398:Fisheries; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005648:Fuel Oils; D006256:Hazardous Waste; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007219:Industrial Oils / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012623:Seawater; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005648:Fuel Oils; D006256:Hazardous Waste