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Researchers recruit oil spill workers
~Long-term health study of cleanup crews under way~
PANAMA CITY — The chief investigator for a long-term health study for oil spill cleanup workers and volunteers spoke with local officials Thursday to encourage referrals.
The Gulf Long-Term Follow-Up Study, called GuLF STUDY, started nearly a year ago and aims to learn about potential health effects from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Eligible participants must be at least 21 years old, have done oil spill cleanup work for at least one day or completed some oil spill worker training.
“We are trying to get people to participate in the study,” said Dale Sandler, chief of the epidemiology branch, Division of Intramural Research for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
The National Institutes of Health is sponsoring the study.
Sandler and her team talked to Bay County Health Department officials to explain the study and solicit help for finding participants who would be interested in enrolling. The research team met with community members Wednesday night in Gulf Breeze and had about 90 people attend and ask questions.
The study has two goals to find answers to the questions that matter to workers and the community and to provide communities information on how oil spills affect physical and mental health.
“We are doing scientifically sound research,” Sandler said. “This is the largest study of its type that has ever been done. We are doing a prospective study and we are trying to enroll 55,000 cleanup workers.”
There have been 40 major oil spills in the past 50 years but only eight studies on health effects and none were very long term, Sandler said.
The study is looking at workers and volunteers throughout the Gulf Coast region. The study began with calling workers and volunteers, but researchers quickly discovered that many of the cellphone numbers given at the time of the oil spill are no longer in use. The researchers are encouraging people to call their toll-free number and spend the approximately 25 minutes to complete a questionnaire over the phone.
Eligible participants will be offered a home visit, which will include a health interview, collection of blood and other physical data. The home visit may take up to several hours and in return for participants’ time, they will receive a $50 gift card.
Capt. Bob Zales, a charter boat captain who serves on several advisory committees, was an early participant in the study. His phone interview took nearly an hour and his home visit took several hours. He provided feedback, along with other participants, and the research team responded by tweaking their procedures to reduce redundant questions and expedite the interview process.
“Captains are interested in the study and they see a need for it,” Zales said about his peers.
To date, the study has reached 11,446 eligible workers and volunteers — 2,718 from Florida — and done home visits on 6,250 participants — 1,965 from Florida — according to Sandler.
How to participate: Call the toll free number, 855-644-4853, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday to participate.
