The deepwater horizon oil spill coast guard cohort study: A cross-sectional study of acute respiratory health symptoms

Highlights: • Cross sectional analyses of crude oil/dispersant exposures and acute respiratory symptoms in disaster responders. • Elevated prevalence ratios for coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing with crude oil exposure. • Increasing crude oil inhalation and dermal contact showed increasing likelihood for respiratory symptoms. • Combination of crude oil and dispersants showed associations greater in magnitude than oil alone. • We found strong relationships between crude oil/dispersant exposures and acute respiratory symptoms. Over 8500 United States Coast Guard (USCG) personnel were deployed in response to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill; however, human respiratory effects as a result of spill-related exposures are relatively unknown.