The long term health risks from the BP oil rig explosion and resulting spill last year are more likely to be emotional in nature than physical. According to the New York Times, residents along the Gulf Coast are more likely to be troubled by mental and emotional issues in the future.
The New York Times is quoting doctors who have reviewed patients along the Gulf Coast. The review has published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and has included the effects of the use of chemicals that were used to disperse the oil. However, the results of the analysis may not be completely accurate due to the lack of tangible studies into the oil spill. For instance, the federal administration has failed to conduct any intensified studies into the effects of the spill along the Gulf Coast. This is why doctors and other experts, who have studied these health issues, have little official data to work with.
While physical complaints like headaches, nausea and respiratory problems continue to exist, doctors and maritime lawyers are more concerned about the long-term emotional effects from the spill. In fact, doctors believe that some of these physical symptoms that people are suffering from, like headaches and nausea, are also symptoms of stress.
In order to really understand the effects of the spill, the federal government needs to study the disaster carefully, especially the effect on states that already have the most significant health problems in the country. For instance, Louisiana already has high rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer. We need a study to understand how the oil spill has affected these rates.
