Environmental Justice

Impacts on Communities

As a result of the oil spill, man workers and communities began to experience symptoms such as respiratory problems, headaches and skin irritation. Clean up workers had began receiving treatment and began getting admitted into hospitals as early as June 2010, after the spill occurred. These symptoms are said to be caused by Corexit, the dispersant that was used in attempted to prevent the further spread of oil into the ocean.

Long-term effects would be apparent in pregnant women and children. Some of these long term effects include mental health problems. The first suicide due to the spill was in June 2010. The man was a captain who had run a fishing business before the spill occurred. But due to the spill, he lost his business. Stress-related symptoms were already high, especially after Hurricane Katrina had hit the Gulf back in 2005. In the Gulf Coastal areas, there were increases in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, and alcohol-use.

BIB:

4. Solomon, Gina M., and Sarah Janssen. "Health effects of the Gulf oil spill."JAMA 304, no. 10 (2010): 1118-1119.

5. Goldstein, Bernard D. 04. The gulf oil spill. The New England Journal of Medicine 364 (14) (/2011): 1334; 1334,1348; 1348.

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