[Acute health effects of the Hebei oil spill on the residents of Taean, Korea].
OBJECTIVE
On December 7, 2007, the Hebei Spirit oil tanker spilled out 12,547 kl of crude oil on the Yellow Sea 10 km away from the cost of Taean Province, Korea. As the coastline has been contaminated, local residents have been exposed to crude oil. Because the residents were showing many symptoms, we investigated the acute health effects of this oil spill on them.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study consisting of the heavy and moderately oil soaked area in Taean and the lightly oil soaked area in Seocheon. Ten seashore villages were selected from each area, and 10 male and female adults were selected from each village. We interviewed the subjects using a structured questionnaire on the characteristics of residents, the cleanup activities, the perception of oil hazard, depression and anxiety, and the physical symptoms. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. The logistic regression model was adjusted for age, gender, education, smoking, the perception of oil hazard and anxiousness.


RESULTS
The more highly contaminated the area, the more likely it was for residents to be engaged in cleanup activities and have a greater chance of exposure to oil. The indexes of anxiety and depression were higher in the heavy and moderately oil soaked areas. The increased risks of headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, tingling of limb, hot flushing, sore throat, cough, runny nose, shortness of breath, itchy skin, rash, and sore eyes were significant.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that exposure to crude oil is associated with various acute physical symptoms. Long-term investigation is required to monitor the residents' health.
Lee
Cheol-Heon
CH
Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Korea. cheolheon@cdc.go.kr
Kang
Young-A
YA
Chang
Kyu-Jin
KJ
Kim
Chang-Hoon
CH
Hur
Jong-Il
JI
Kim
Jae-Youn
JY
Lee
Jong-Koo
JK
D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004190:Disasters; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010578:Petroleum / Q000633:toxicity*; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000633:toxicity*
D010578:Petroleum; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical