Table 1.
Selected population characteristics of oil spill response and cleanup workers with ≥D spirometry quality scores* (N=4,806)
| Characteristic | Mean (SD) |
|---|---|
| Age, years | 43 (13) |
| Height, m | 1.74 (0.09) |
| Weight, kg | 91 (21) |
| Time elapsed between last day of OSRC work and spirometry, years | 17 (0.5) |
| FEV1, mL | 3,197 (791) |
| FVC, mL | 4,084 (955) |
| FEV1/FVC% | 78.31 (7.08) |
| N (%) | |
| Gender | |
| Male | 3867 (80) |
| Female | 939 (20) |
| Hispanic ethnicity | |
| Non-Hispanic | 4496 (94) |
| Hispanic | 310 (6) |
| Race | |
| White | 2614 (54) |
| Black | 1701 (35) |
| Asian/Other | 491 (10) |
| Annual household income | |
| More than $50,000 | 1264 (26) |
| $20,001 to $50,000 | 1666 (35) |
| Less than or equal to $20,000 | 1876 (39) |
| Highest level of educational attainment | |
| 4-Year College Graduate or More | 619 (13) |
| Some College/2-Year Degree | 1537 (32) |
| High School Diploma/GED | 1710 (36) |
| Less than High School/Equivalent | 940 (20) |
| Employment at the time of enrollment | |
| Employed | 2672 (56) |
| Unemployed/looking for work | 1325 (28) |
| Other | 809 (17) |
| Pre-spill lung disease | |
| No | 4151 (86) |
| Yes | 655 (14) |
| Pre-spill diabetes | |
| No | 4560 (95) |
| Yes | 246 (5) |
| Previous oil industry experience | |
| No | 3976 (83) |
| Yes | 830 (17) |
| Previous oil spill cleanup experience | |
| No | 4406 (92) |
| Yes | 400 (8) |
| Residential proximity to the Gulf Coast† | |
| Direct contact | 3503 (73) |
| Indirect contact | 337 (7) |
| Other Gulf state residence | 966 (20) |
| Smoking status at enrollment | |
| Never smoker | 2010 (42) |
| Former smoker | 949 (20) |
| Light current smoker | 1223 (25) |
| Heavy current smoker | 624 (13) |
| Secondhand smoke at home visit | |
| No | 3356 (70) |
| Yes | 1450 (30) |
| Maximum ordinal total hydrocarbons (THC) level | |
| ≤0.29 ppm | 502 (10) |
| 0.30-0.99 ppm | 1910 (40) |
| 1.00-2.99 ppm | 1655 (34) |
| ≥3.00 ppm | 739 (15) |
| Potential exposure to dispersants | |
| No | 4135 (86) |
| Yes | 671 (14) |
| Potential exposure to burning oil/gas | |
| Unexposed | 4347 (90) |
| Low/Medium | 403 (8) |
| High | 56 (1) |
| Smelled oil, dispersants, or cleaning chemicals | |
| No | 2014 (42) |
| Yes | 2972 (58) |
| Skin or clothing in contact with oil/tar/oily water | |
| No | 1695 (35) |
| Yes | 3111 (65) |
| Body or clothing ever became wet with chemicals | |
| No | 3163 (66) |
| Yes | 1643 (34) |
| Ever had to stop working because you were hot | |
| No | 2777 (58) |
| Yes | 2029 (42) |
| Worked any job involving oily plants/wildlife or dead animal recovery | |
| No | 2832 (59) |
| Yes | 1974 (41) |
| Ever worked as a commercial fisherman | |
| No | 3996 (83) |
| Yes | 810 (17) |
SD, standard deviation; FEV1, forced expiratory volume in 1 second; FVC, forced vital capacity,
*
Quality ≥D defined having at least two curves that meet the 2005 American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory society inter-maneuver criteria for both FEV1 and FVC or expert deemed equivalent score,
†
Residential proximity to the coast is defined as: living in a county directly adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico (direct), living in a county adjacent to coastal counties (indirect), or living in another Gulf state county.