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Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Exposure, Industry Sector, and Child Health

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Abstract

The historic 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (DHOS) led to public distress regarding potential impacts on children in nearby Gulf Coast communities. Using a community-based South Louisiana panel study of households with children, we examined the effect of fishing industry employment on changes in a subjective measure of general child health and whether economic and physical DHOS exposures played a mediating role. Fishing industry employment had a negative effect on child health compared to other industries. Economic exposure and physical exposure both mediated the effects of the fishing industry on child health, with economic exposure mediating a larger share (49.3%) of the relationship compared to physical exposure (40.5%). The importance of economic oil spill exposure in these findings highlights the significance of social determinants of health at the intersection of disasters and child vulnerability.

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Notes

  1. In supplemental linear probability models, we use a dichotomous version of the dependent variable where excellent health is equal to 1, else 0. Results were not substantively changed in comparison to the main results, both in terms of direction of effects and statistical significance. Also, economic exposure mediated a larger portion of excellent child health (73.6%) compared to physical exposure (53.2%).

  2. In a random-effects model with covariates seen in Table 2, female parent and being an older parent (> 40 years of age) where negatively and significantly associated with child health.

  3. Econometric random-effects regression requires at least two waves of data (Allison 2009).

  4. In ancillary analyses, we coded physical exposure excluding the DHOS smell indicator. This indicator had a significant direct effect on child health (b = − .274; p = .002) and significantly mediated 20% of the effect of fishing industry employment. We also separated child physical exposure, parent physical exposure, and parent report of DHOS smell. Child physical exposure had a significant direct effect on child health (b = − .383; p = .001) but did not have a significant indirect association mediating the relationship between fishing industry employment and child health (p = .127). Parent physical exposure had a significant direct effect on child health (b = − .271; p = .003) and significantly mediated 19.1% of the effect of fishing industry. DHOS smell had a significant direct effect on child health (b = − .433; p < .001) and significantly mediated 19.2% of the effect of fishing industry.

  5. Ancillary analyses showing that parent physical exposure (both physical contact and smell) act as a significant mediator, but not child exposure, indicate the need for further research examining potential mechanisms (e.g., parent health) linking parent physical exposure and child health.

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Acknowledgements

We thank all those who participated in the Resilient Children, Youth, and Communities (RCYC) study. This research was made possible by grants from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation and the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI). Data funded by GoMRI are publicly available through the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Information & Data Cooperative (GRIIDC) at https://data.gulfresearchinitiative.org (https://doi.org/10.7266/n7-hjz4-w930. https://doi.org/10.7266/n7-9ftv-yd07). The scientific results and conclusions, as well as any views or opinions expressed herein, are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Louisiana State University (LSU), Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

    Samuel Stroope, Tim Slack & Rhiannon A. Kroeger

  2. Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Jaishree Beedasy

  3. National Center for Disaster Preparedness, Earth Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Jonathan J. Sury, Jeremy Brooks & Thomas Chandler

  4. Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, New Orleans, LA, USA

    Kathryn Sweet Keating

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Appendix

Appendix

See Appendix Tables 3, 4 and 5.

Table 3 Binary logistic regression models of DHOS exposure
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Table 4 Estimates from linear mediation analyses
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Table 5 Random-effects panel model of time-varying general child health regressed on industry, DHOS economic exposure, and DHOS physical exposure
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Stroope, S., Slack, T., Kroeger, R.A. et al. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Exposure, Industry Sector, and Child Health. Popul Res Policy Rev 41, 229–249 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-021-09639-6

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