title: Urinary metabolites before and after cleanup and subjective symptoms in volunteer participants in cleanup of the Hebei Spirit oil spill.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  On December 7th, 2007, the Hong Kong tanker Hebei Spirit (HS) (146,848 tons) was crushed by a crane ship near the shore of Taean, Korea. More than 12,547 kl of crude oil spilled into the sea and contaminated the western coastline of the Korean peninsula. For a period of six months after the accident, approximately 1,000,000 volunteers participated in the cleanup. Our goal in this study was to examine the exposure status and acute health effects on volunteers that participated in the oil spill cleanup.
  
  
  METHODS
  A survey questionnaire was filled out by 565 volunteers, requesting information regarding physical symptoms. Out of the total number of participants, urine samples from 105 university student volunteers were collected before and after the cleanup work, and metabolite levels of volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Volunteers that participated for longer cleanup work reported an increase in physical symptoms including visual disturbance, nasal and bronchus irritation, headaches, heart palpitations, fatigue and fever, memory and cognitive disturbance, and abdominal pain. The levels of t,t-muconic acid, mandelic acid, and 1-hydroxypyrene were significantly higher in samples after cleanup than those measured before participation (p<0.05). Other than the associated risk of dermal irritation with the difference in the t,t-muconic acid level between the post- to pre-cleanup levels, no other physical symptoms demonstrated a significant association with changes observed in the levels of urinary metabolites.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the significant increase of subjective symptoms in volunteers participating in the study, monitoring of the long term health effects, focusing on those with longer exposure, is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Republic of Korea. minaha@dku.edu
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ha
authors.forename: Hojang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Hae-Kwan
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Cheong
authors.forename: Sinye
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Seung Jin
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Eun-Jung
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seok Gun
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jeongae
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Bong Chul
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D011083:Polycyclic Compounds / Q000652:urine*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000652:urine*; D014838:Volunteers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D011083:Polycyclic Compounds; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical