G
ULF
C
OAST
O
IL
S
PILL
(GCOS) S
ITUATIONAL
R
EPORT
T
UESDAY
, J
UNE
15, 2010
ASTHO is diligently working with the affected states and the federal government to monitor the health impacts from the oil spill.
Please visit the Environmental Health: Gulf Coast Oil Spill webpage for updates. For documents detailing GCOS efforts, please visit the ASTHO secure document sharing site . If you have information you would like to share, please email infocenter@astho.org
.
BP & F EDERAL G OVERNMENT G UIDANCE AND U PDATES
Oil Spill Mitigation/Response :

Unified Area Command estimates the release rate of oil from Deepwater Horizon at 20,000 to 40,000 barrels per day. The lower marine riser package ( LMRP ) containment cap, installed on June 3, continues to collect a portion of the oil (approx.
15, 000 barrels per day) and gas flowing from the MC252 well. Captured oil and gas travel through a pipe, called a riser, that is connected from the top of the cap to Transocean Ltd's Discoverer Enterprise drillship. Oil is then transported ashore by a shuttle tanker. Starting this week, BP aims to use seabed equipment installed last month to conduct the failed " top kill " operation to boost the containment cap system.

Work continues to protect the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico, and to collect and clean up any oil that has reached shore.
Operations to skim oil from the surface of the water now have recovered, in total, approximately 475,000 barrels
(19.9million gallons) of oily liquid. Additional information on BP’s preparations can be found on the BP website .
 For NOAA’s 72 hour trajectory map of the oil spill, please visit here . For NOAA’s 72 hour offshore trajectory map for the oil spill, please visit here .
Food Safety :

NOAA and FDA are taking additional steps to enhance inspection measures designed to keep tainted seafood out of commerce. A joint statement has been released that outlines how the agencies plan to deal with seafood safety issues related to the oil spill. To view details of their efforts, please click here . FDA has also set up a hotline for reporting food safety issues: 1-800-INFO-FDA.

The June 7 closure is still in effect. The closure represents approximately 32% of the Gulf of Mexico exclusive economic zone. Please visit NOAA’s Southeast Fishery Bulletin and Map for more details.

As a confidence-boosting measure for consumers worried about the safety of Gulf seafood, President Obama announced yesterday the safety of Gulf seafood and reemphasized the ongoing multi-agency effort led by FDA and NOAA to ensure the safety of seafood harvested from the Gulf of Mexico. To read more, please click here .

On June 14, 2010, FDA released a letter to the Fish and Fishery Products Industry to remind fishery product processors about FDA’s regulations and policy concerning food safety hazard of environmental chemical contaminants. FDA’s letter to the Fish and Fishery Products Industry is available here .
Air Quality/Respiratory Health :

EPA is monitoring outdoor air for several pollutants that are associated with petroleum products and the burning of oil.
According to EPA’s last update (06/13/2010), air quality levels for ozone and particulates are normal on the Gulf coastline for this time of year.

EPA has observed odor-causing pollutants associated with petroleum products along the coastline at low levels. Some of these chemicals may cause short-lived effects like headache, eye, nose and throat irritation, or nausea. People may be able to smell some of these chemicals at levels well below those that would cause short-term health problems. For more information, please visit here .
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 450| Arlington, VA 22202
Main: 202-371-9090

Safe Drinking Water:

According to the EPA, the oil spill is not currently expected to affect drinking water. The closest drinking water intake in use in Southeastern Louisiana on the Mississippi River is 49 miles upstream from the mouth of the river. The oil is not expected to migrate that far upstream. For more information, please visit here .
Coastal Wate r & Sediment Sampling :

EPA’s analysis of surface water along the Gulf Coast found elevated levels of nickel above benchmark levels for aquatic life in samples collected on June 4 and June 7, 2010. This might affect fish and shellfish exposed for an extended period of time. However, EPA believes it is unlikely that the contamination resulted from the BP Spill. For more information, click here .

Surface water results collected on May 22 and May 23, 2010 at 10 stations along the coast of Louisiana were measured for two of the chemicals associated with dispersants (2-Butoxyethanol and 2-Ethylhexyl Alcohol), but do not detect either one.
 EPA’s most recent sediment sampling results collected through June 6, 2010 show levels of pollutants that may pose a risk to aquatic life and are classified as unhealthy. It is unknown whether the sediment contamination resulted from the BP Spill or was already present. For more information, please visit here .
Waste Management:

EPA deployed field teams to collect a small number of samples of oily debris, tar balls, mousse oil, and other petroleum waste products that have washed up on the shore along the Gulf Coast. Preliminary results have only shown chemical constituents that are usually found in petroleum products and typical health precautions should be taken. For more information, please click here .
Worker Safety :

More than 25, 000 personnel are working the on- and off-shore response. OSHA continues to conduct general air monitoring on and around workers using a variety of general purpose and specialty methods to determine if the airborne exposure to workers is considered hazardous. Sampling results and OSHA’s interpretation of the results have been posted to their web site. For updates, please click here .

The federal on-scene coordinator for the BP Deepwater Horizon response and OSHA announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) concerning worker safety and health issues related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response in the Gulf of Mexico.
The MOU solidifies the close working relationship between the Coast Guard and
OSHA, and establishes a specific mechanism for coordination between the Deepwater Horizon FOSC and OSHA. For more information, please click here .
S TATE U PDATES
Alabama :
 Alabama’s barrier islands are experiencing oil impact; some stretches of beach are seeing little sign of oil, while others are experiencing greater amounts.

The Alabama Department of Public Health has issued a swimming advisory in gulf waters off Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan, and in bay waters immediately adjacent to Fort Morgan, in Bayou St. John, Terry Cove, Cotton Bayou or
Old River. To read advisory information and frequently asked questions, please visit here .

The City of Orange Beach is flying double red flags at public beaches. This means waters are closed for swimming or wading. The cities of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach have persuaded BP to purchase ten additional beach raking machines to facilitate faster and more effective clean-up. The mechanical beach rakes are capable of sifting very small contaminates from the sand efficiently and safely. There are now five machines cleaning the beaches daily.
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 450| Arlington, VA 22202
Main: 202-371-9090

Florida :

Florida beaches are open, but reconnaissance missions are ongoing.

On June 14, light sheen, streamers of weathered oil, and tar balls were detected within 5 miles of Pensacola Pass.

On June 13, dime to five inch-sized tar balls and tar patties were found in widely scattered areas of Northwest Florida.

Coastal regions near and west of Choctawhatchee Bay may experience shoreline impacts through Wednesday.

Scattered patches of sheen and tar balls remain in the Loop Current Ring. However, there is increasing evidence that the
Loop Current Ring has begun to detach from the Loop Current.

BP claims in Florida total 12,633 with approximately $8,489,727.47 paid. Florida’s daily situational report can be found here .
Louisiana :

Regional updates:

Region 1(Upper Louisiana Delta): o Oil landfall : St. Bernard Parish – Chandeleur Islands; Plaquemines Parish – South Pass, Pass a L’Outre, Brush Island;
Jefferson Parish- Grand Isle, Elmer’s Island o The Office of Mental Health will continue coordinating outreach with Catholic Charities. o
The LA DOH continues to maintain contact with the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
(OHSEP) Directors, as well as other officials and stakeholders in the region. o Environmental Health & Safety staff will continue to monitor St. Bernard and Plaquemines water systems and distribute water, sediment, and air data to stakeholders.

Region 3 (Western Acadiana) : o Oil landfall: Terrebonne Parish: Whiskey Island, Trinity Island and Raccoon Island; Lafourche: Fourchon o Monitoring is ongoing o
Expense tracking and support is being provided by the BP Command Center in Houma, LA.

Region 4 (Louisiana's Florida Parishes, Mississippi River Road and Eastern Acadiana) o Oil landfall: Iberia Parish: Marsh Island; Vermilion Parish: Cheniere au Tigre

DHH EOC: o Continuing to coordinate response reports and plans. o
Compiling cost analysis from various program areas. o
Provides a daily organizational chart of all DHH employees working the MS Canyon 252 Event.
Mississippi:

Additional areas of Mississippi marine waters are closed to commercial and recreational fishing. Additional information can be found here .

On an observational flight with the Mississippi National Guard, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality staff observed oil sheen south of Petit Bois Island. For more information, please visit here .
Texas:

Texas is maintaining situational awareness only and has not activated their EOC.

The Environmental Health Epidemiologists are monitoring the event closely especially in the event that weather patterns change and the plume (oil slick) moves towards Texas.
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 450| Arlington, VA 22202
Main: 202-371-9090

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 450| Arlington, VA 22202
Main: 202-371-9090

Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 450| Arlington, VA 22202
Main: 202-371-9090

From: CDC NIOSH GULF WORKER RESPONSE (CDC)
Sent: Thursday, June 17, 2010 12:52 PM
Subject:
Dear State Health Departments,
I am pleased to let you know that the web-based NIOSH gulf oil spill worker rostering form is now ready for use. I am sending this to you in the hopes that we can identify ways and mechanisms to roster all parish, local, state, and National
Guard workers on the oil spill. As you identify points of contact who have email distribution lists for their workers, please have them contact me, and I will share the web link with them. I have attached an invitation letter that you can use as a template or to cut and paste into an email or whatever works for you. Please do not post this link on any of your websites. We want to make sure that only workers and not the general public have access to it.
If any issues come up that we need to discuss, please let me know and we can set up a call. I am also attaching a support letter from the Unified Command that you are free to attach to the email if you would like.
Thanks so much for your willingness to participate. I appreciate it.
Renee
Renée Funk, DVM, MPH&TM, DACVPM
Medical Epidemiologist
LCDR, US PHS
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
OD, Emergency Preparedness and Response Office
1600 Clifton Rd, NE, MS E-20
Atlanta, GA 30333
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) invites all workers who are participating in the oil spill cleanup to complete a rostering form via the link below. The purpose of this roster is to obtain an accurate record of everyone who is participating. The information collected in this roster will be important for possible future studies to determine whether health conditions that may develop in the future are associated with occupational exposures during the cleanup. This activity is approved by the Unified Command.
Participation in the roster is voluntary, but NIOSH would appreciate your participation so that if health conditions develop in the future that we are not aware of now, NIOSH will have a way to contact you and tell you about it. The Data Use and
Disclosure sheet, which is the first page of the rostering form, tells more about it. Feel free to print that page out and keep it for your records. It has NIOSH’s phone number (404-498-GULF (4853)) and email address cdcnioshgulfworker@cdc.gov
) that you can call or email if you have any questions later about what you have participated in.
Although the rostering form does ask for personal information, it will only be used so that NIOSH can follow up with you.
NIOSH will protect your information as private to the extent allowed by law. NIOSH will only report group information not individual information. The Data Use and Disclosure sheet tells more about this as well.
NIOSH will provide a final written report through CDC to BP, its contractors, the workers, and federal and state government agencies. This report will not contain individual information and will be available to the public.
Once email distribution lists have been identified, please contact us for the web link:
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 450| Arlington, VA 22202
Main: 202-371-9090

NIOSH Gulf Oil Spill Rostering Team
404-498-GULF (4853) cdcnioshgulfworker@cdc.gov
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
2231 Crystal Drive, Suite 450| Arlington, VA 22202
Main: 202-371-9090