ObjectivesWe aimed to assess the burden of disease (BOD) of the residents living in contaminated coastal area with oil spill and also analysed the BOD attributable to the oil spill by disease, age, sex and subregion.DesignHealth impact assessment by measuring years lived with disability (YLD) due to an oil spill.SettingA whole population of a community affected by an anthropogenic environmental disaster and secondary health outcome data.ParticipantsBased on the health outcome survey including 10 171 individuals (male 4354; female 5817), BOD of 66 473 populations (male 33 441; female 33 032) was measured.InterventionsNone. Observational study on the effect of a specific environmental health hazard.Primary and secondary outcome measuresUsing disability adjusted life year (DALY) method, BOD including physical and mental diseases was measured. For the BOD measurement, excess incidences of illnesses related to oil spill were estimated from the comparison of prevalence of the health outcomes between contaminated areas and reference area without contamination.ResultsYLD attributable to the oil spill were estimated to be 14 724 DALYs (male 7425 DALYs; female 7299 DALYs) for the year 2008. The YLD of mental diseases including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression for men were higher than that for women. The YLD for women was higher in asthma and allergies (rhinitis, dermatitis, conjunctivitis) than that for men. The effects of asthma and allergies were the greatest for people in their 40s, with the burden of mental illness being the greatest for those in their 20s. Proximity to the spill site was associated with increased BOD.ConclusionsAn oil spill near a coastline can cause substantial adverse health effects. As the health effects of hazardous pollutants from oil spills are long-lasting, close follow-up studies are required to identify chronic health effects.

Background Exposure to air pollution aggravates symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD) in children in the population studies. Variability in individual patient's response from individual susceptibility is needed to be explored. Objective This study aimed to investigate spectrum of individual variability in the associations between AD symptoms and air quality. Methods We enrolled 89 children aged 0‐6 years with AD (22 890 person‐days). Daily manifestation of symptoms was recorded for an average of 257 days (range 100‐499). Both an individual analysis using logistic regression models and an overall analysis using a generalized estimating equation were performed. Results The odds ratios of an individual ranged 0.24‐8.11 for particulate matter <10 μm in diameter (PM10), 0.09‐101.92 for nitrogen oxide (NO2), 0.03‐44.00 for ozone (O3), 0.11‐58.30 for sulfur dioxide (SO2), 0.00‐15.83 for carbon monoxide (CO), 0.00‐39 446.94 for temperature, and 0.03‐5.18 for relative humidity, demonstrating a wide individual variability. In the overall analysis, PM10, NO2, SO2, and CO had a significantly positive association, whereas temperature and relative humidity were negatively associated with AD symptoms. Air pollution was responsible for aggravation of symptoms from 24.7% (O3) to 39.3% (SO2) of AD children. Overall, 71.9% of the AD children responded to at least one or more air pollution and weather variable. Conclusion Responses of AD children to air pollution and weather variable were considerably variable among individuals. An individualized model would be useful to forecast and manage AD symptoms in patients.

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PurposeThe oil spill from the Heibei Spirit in December 2007 contaminated the Yellow Coast of South Korea. We evaluated the respiratory effects of that spill on children who lived along the Yellow Coast.MethodsOf 662 children living in the area exposed to the oil spill, 436 (65.9%) were enrolled as subjects. All subjects completed a modified International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood questionnaire. A health examination, including a skin prick test, pulmonary function test, and methacholine bronchial provocation test (MBPT), was administered. The children were assigned to two groups: those who lived close to the oil spill area and those who lived far from the oil spill area.ResultsThe children who lived close to the oil spill area showed a significantly lower forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), an increased prevalence of 'asthma ever' (based on a questionnaire), and 'airway hyperresponsiveness' (based on the MBPT) than those who lived far from the oil spill area (FEV1; P=0.011, prevalence of 'asthma ever' based on a questionnaire; P=0.005, prevalence of 'airway hyperresponsiveness' based on the MBPT; P=0.001). The onset of wheezing after the oil spill was significantly higher in children who lived close to the oil spill area than in those who lived far from the oil spill area among the 'wheeze ever' group (P=0.002). In a multiple logistic regression analysis, male sex, family history of asthma, and residence near the oil spill area were significant risk factors for asthma (sex [male/female]: odds ratio [OR], 2.54; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-4.91; family history of asthma [No/Yes]: OR, 3.77; 95% CI, 1.83-7.75; exposure group [low/high]; OR, 2.43; 95% CI, 1.27-4.65).ConclusionsThis study suggests that exposure to an oil spill is a risk factor for asthma in children.