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Introduction In 2007, an oil tank in an industrial area in Norway exploded and caused a prolonged malodorous pollution. Previous studies have shown that acute physical and psychological health complaints are prevalent in populations recently affected by industrial accidents. However, follow-up studies of human health effects after such accidents are limited, and knowledge about long-term health effects among workers exposed to malodourous emissions following a chemical accident is scarce. The aim of the study was to assess whether subjective health complaints among employees in the industrial area and clean-up workers declined over a four-year period after an oil tank explosion, a period that included removal of the malodorous pollution. Methods A longitudinal survey from 2008 (1 ½ years after the explosion) to 2012 (5 ½ years after the explosion) was performed using the Subjective Health Complaints Inventory, a validated questionnaire. Data were analysed using a linear mixed effects model. Results In 2008, exposed workers (n=147) had significantly more health complaints such as headache, tiredness, sleep problems, dizziness and depression, compared to unexposed controls living far away from the explosion site (n=137). In 2012, there was a reduction of subjective health complaints among the exposed workers, but they still had significantly more subjective neurological symptoms (p Discussion It is likely that the overall decrease of subjective health complaints among exposed workers could be due to decreased exposure to malodorous pollutants or time passed since explosion. However, the persistent subjective neurological complaints might be mediated by perceived pollution and health risk perception. Worry might have caused a chronic effect, manifested by a dysfunctional and persistent neuropsychological response. A possible implication is that quick clean-up of malodorous chemical spills is important to avoid persistent health effects.

Introduction Oil spill cleanup personnel could be exposed to benzene during cleanup of accidental spill of crude oil at sea. S-Phenyl Mercapturic Acid (SPMA) is reported to be a sensitive urinary marker of exposure to low levels of benzene, but there is a lack of information on biological uptake of benzene during cleanup of oil spills. The aim of this study was to investigate the exposure to benzene during an oil spill by measuring the concentration of SPMA in urine for subjects participating in an oil spill field trial at sea. Methods The study included 22 subjects taking part in an oil spill field trial in the North Sea with two types of fresh crude oil. The subjects were located in open air sampling boats close to the oil slick ( Results SPMA was not detected in the urine samples of subjects wearing protective masks and in the control group. Among the six subjects who reported not to wear protective masks during the spill the concentration of SPMA in urine ranged 0.5–3.3 µmol/mol. They were all located in the boat closest to the oil spill. Discussion We have previously reported that mean personal exposure to benzene in air was 0.43 ppm for the personnel in the boat closest to the oil spill. The present study suggests that work with fresh oil spilled at sea might cause biological uptake of benzene. Appropriate personal respiratory protection should be used to prevent such uptake.

Introduction There is an established causal relationship between benzene exposure and acute myelogenous leukaemia in adults, but the association between parental benzene exposure and childhood leukaemia in offspring remains inconclusive. Objective Using the prospective population-based Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) comprising 1 13 754 offspring (1999–2009), we investigated the association between parental exposure to ”gasoline or exhaust” as a proxy to benzene exposure and childhood leukaemia. Method Around the 17th gestational week mothers and fathers responded to questions on a range of occupational exposures during the last 6 months and pre-conception, respectively. Exposure to benzene was assessed through self-reported exposure to ”gasoline or exhaust” (”never exposed”, ”ever exposed” and ”exposed>30 days”), the latter interpreted as being occupational. Development of subsequent childhood leukaemia (n=70) were identified through linkage with the Cancer Registry of Norway. The risk was estimated by odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) comparing the offspring from exposed and unexposed parents using a logistic regression model, adjusting for maternal smoking and birth weight. Results Maternal exposure was associated with an increased risk of childhood leukaemia (OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.03, 6.50). The risk increased with number of days being exposed during the last 6 months categorised in ”0”, ”1–30”, ”31–180” (p-value for trend=0.03). No excess risk of leukaemia was found for paternal exposure. Conclusion We found an excess risk of leukaemia in children having a mother reporting being exposed to benzene-containing ”gasoline or exhaust” prior to and/or during pregnancy.

Background Foul-smelling environmental pollution was a major concern following a chemical workplace explosion. Malodorous pollution has previously been associated with aggravated physical and psychological health. Furthermore, in persons affected by a trauma, an incidence-related odour can act as a traumatic reminder. Olfaction may even be of significance in the development and persistence of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Aims To assess whether perceived smell related to malodorous environmental pollution in the aftermath of the explosion was a determinant of subjective health complaints (SHC) and PTSS among gainfully employed adults before and after clean-up of the malodorous pollution. Methods Questionnaire data from validated instruments, the Subjective Health Complaints Inventory and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, were analysed using mixed effects models in a longitudinal study design comprising three surveys. Individual odour scores were computed, and the participants (n=486) were divided into high (n=233) and low (n=253) odour score groups. Results Participants in the high odour score group reported more SHC and PTSS than those in the low odour score group, before and also after the pollution was eliminated. The difference between the groups lasted for at least three years after the pollution was eliminated. Conclusion Perception of malodorous environmental air pollution was a determinant of both SHC and PTSS. Prompt clean-up might be important to avoid persistent health effects after malodorous chemical spills.

Objectives This study is the first step in a larger study that aims to investigate the potential human exposure to hazardous hydrocarbons in air during oil spill combat offshore. The aim was to measure n-hexane, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes and naphthalene evaporated from fresh, light crude oils, and identify determinants significantly influencing the benzene evaporation. Methods A small scale open oil-on-water exposure system filled with seawater was used to produce a thin oil film ( Results Toluene, followed by benzene, ethylbenzene and n-hexane, yielded the highest air concentrations (6.0–11.3 ppm) of the measured VOCs, and declined rapidly with time. Xylenes and naphthalene yielded lower air concentrations (0.1–1.6 ppm) and did not show analogous decline during sampling. Benzene exceeded the short-term occupational exposure limit at both 2°C (3.5 ppm) and 13°C (4.6 ppm) the first 15 minutes of sampling. Benzene content in fresh oil, oil group (condensate/light oil) and wax content in fresh oil were significant determinants explaining 59–78% of the total variance in the outcome variables.