The impact of oil spill to lung health--Insights from an RNA-seq study of human airway epithelial cells.

ABSTRACT: The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (BP oil spill) in the Gulf of Mexico was a unique disaster event, where a huge amount of oil spilled from the sea bed and a large volume of dispersants were applied to clean the spill. The operation lasted for almost 3 months and involved >50,000 workers. The potential health hazards to these workers may be significant as previous research suggested an association of persistent respiratory symptoms with exposure to oil and oil dispersants. To reveal the potential effects of oil and oil dispersants on the respiratory system at the molecular level, we evaluated the transcriptomic profile of human airway epithelial cells grown under treatment of crude oil, the dispersants Corexit 9500 and Corexit 9527, and oil-dispersant mixtures. We identified a very strong ef

SUBMITTER: Liu YZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5072127 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature