Oil Dispersant Used After Deepwater Horizon Spill May Cause Lung Damage

It turns out that an oil-dispersal agent that was used to help control the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico may contribute to the damage of cells in lungs. Scientists have taken a closer look at Corexit EC9500A and have discovered that it very well could cause problems for both wildlife and humans.

"There were some 48,000 workers involved in the cleanup operations, and it is possible that workers were exposed to Corexit via inhalation," said Veen Antony, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Cough, shortnnness of breath anddd sputum production were among the symptoms expressed by workers."

In this case, the dispersant affects the epithelium cells. The epithelium is a thin layer of cells that provides a continuous, critical and highly regulated barrier to environmental insults. Inflammation of these cells can lead to a loss of integrity of the epithelium, causing an increase in permeability across the airway.

"The evidence that Corexit causes structural and functional abnormalities in airway tissue includes dispersant-induced cell detachment, edema, contraction in cell diameter and increased permeability," said Antony.

The body's natural reaction to airway injury is by producing HO-1, an anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic enzyme found in the epithelium, an increased production of an oxidant-generating enzyme, NADPH oxidase-4, or NOX4. NOX4 can contribute to airway damage.

"Corexit exposure led to an increase in NOX4 activation, and there is evidence that the increase of NOX4 is tied to increased apoptosis," said Antony. "On the other hand, HO-1 was also activated following Corexit exposure. We also noted that the introduction of HO-1 following injury served to remediate the effects of that injury."

The findings reveal a bit more about this dispersal agent and show that lungs are sensitive to Coexist. This is crucial to keep in mind if it's used for future operations.

The findings are published in the journal PLOS One.

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