title: The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Through the Lens of Human Health and the Ecosystem.
abstract: This review examines current research ascertaining the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on human health and ecosystems. Driven by the need to strategically focus research funding, the authors also assess the implications of those findings and promote a transdisciplinary research agenda addressing critical gaps.Epidemiologic studies conducted in workers and vulnerable communities in the spill's aftermath showed that non-chemical stressors affect resilience. Ecosystem-wise salt marsh species showed variability in structural and functional changes, attributed to species-specific tolerance, oil exposure, and belowground plant organs damage.Lacking baseline exposure assessment data hampers assessing the impact of chemical stressors. Research priorities include leveraging existing women/child dyads and worker cohorts to advance exposure characterization and counter early adverse effects in most vulnerable populations. Key policy gaps include mandated just-in-time emergency resources to ascertain immediate post-event exposures and contemporary legislation addressing human and ecosystem health in an integrated rather than silo fashion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2100, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA. mlichtve@tulane.edu.
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lichtveld
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2100, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Samendra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sherchan
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, P.O. Box 12233, Mail Drop A3-05, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA.|Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA.
authors.forename: Kaitlyn B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Gam
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, P.O. Box 12233, Mail Drop A3-05, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA.
authors.forename: Richard K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.affiliation: Hiram College, P.O. Box 67, Hiram, OH, 44234, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mundorf
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2000, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Arti
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shankar
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Environmental Health Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2100, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Lissa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D017753:Ecosystem; D060851:Gulf of America; D006801:Humans; D010578:Petroleum / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D059392:Petroleum Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010944:Plants; D011634:Public Health; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000378:metabolism; D053833:Wetlands
chemical_list: D010578:Petroleum; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Ecosystem; Exposure; Human health; Non-chemical stressors