Oil Spill Workers Hazards May Cause Health Hazards The National Institute of Medicine held a hearing yesterday, continuing today, in New Orleans.

Heat, exposure to chemicals and changes caused by the disaster, yield a recipe for serious medical conditions, so reported a group of presenters at the National Institutes of Medicine conference in New Orleans. Those conditions include lung, kidney and liver function.

June 22, 2010

8:00 a.m. Registration
8:30 a.m. Welcome Harvey V. Fineberg, President, IOM
8:40 a.m. Charge to the IOM
Nicole Lurie, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, Department of Health and Human Services
8:50 a.m. Introductory Remarks
Planning Committee Chair: Nancy E. Adler, University of California, San Francisco
9:00 a.m. The Compelling Need to Understand the Effects of Oil Spills on Human Health

• Bernard D. Goldstein, University of Pittsburgh
• Blanca Laffon, University A Coruna
• Edward B. Overton, Louisiana State University

9:45 a.m. The Response of the Federal Government to Health ConcernsJohn Howard, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
SESSION I. AT-RISK POPULATIONS AND ROUTES OF EXPOSURE

10:00 a.m. Panel Discussion. Taking Stock: Who Is at Risk and How Are They Exposed?
Moderator: Linda Rosenstock, University of California, Los Angeles

• Routes of Exposure and At-Risk Populations - Paul J. Lioy, Rutgers University
• Residents of Affected Regions: General and Special Populations - Maureen Y. Lichtveld, Tulane University
• Occupational Risks and Health Hazards: Workers and Volunteers - Scott Barnhart, University of Washington

SESSION II. SHORT- AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH

11:10 a.m. Panel Discussion. The Here and Now: What are the Short-term Effects on Human Health?
Moderator: Linda A. McCauley, Emory University

• Short-term Physical Effects - Nalini Sathiakumar, University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Short-term Psychological Stress - Howard Osofsky, Louisiana State University 
• Heat Stress and Fatigue - Thomas E. Bernard, University of South Florida

12:20 p.m. LUNCH (on your own)

1:30 p.m. Panel Discussion. The Need to Know: What Are the Potential Delayed and Long-term Effects on Human Health?
Moderator: Kenneth Olden, Hunter College of the City University of New York

• Neurological, Cancer, and Other Chronic Conditions - Peter Spencer, Oregon Health & Science University
• Human Reproduction - Brenda Eskenazi, University of California at Berkeley
• Impact on Health and Vulnerabilities of Children - Irwin Redlener, National Commission on Children and Disasters
• Stress - Sheldon Cohen, Carnegie Mellon University
• Lessons Learned from Previous Oil Spills - Lawrence A. Palinkas, University of Southern California

SESSION III. STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNICATING RISK
3:00 p.m. Engaging the Public, Protecting Health
Presenter: David Abramson, Columbia University
3:20 p.m. Dialogue with Workshop Participants
Moderator: Mike Magee, Healthy-Waters.org

• Brief Invited Remarks - Community Perspectives:
  - Myra Lewis
  - Diem Nyugen- Wilma Subra
  - John Hosey (invited) 
• Open Dialogue with Audience

4:20 p.m. Day 1 Closing Remarks
Nancy E. Adler, University of California, San Francisco
4:30 p.m. ADJOURN

June 23, 2010

8:30 a.m. Registration
9:00 a.m. Recap of Day 1 Discussions and Overview of Day 2Nancy E. Adler, University of California, San Francisco
9:10 a.m. Remarks from the Surgeon General of the United States Public Health ServiceVice Admiral Regina M. Benjamin
SESSION IV. OVERVIEW OF HEALTH MONITORING ACTIVITIES
9:20 a.m. Panel Discussion. How are State Governments Currently Monitoring the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health?
Moderator:  LuAnn E. White, Tulane University

• Jimmy Guidry, Louisiana State Health Officer
• Mary Currier, Mississippi State Health Officer
• Ana M. Viamonte Ros, Florida State Surgeon General
• Donald E. Williamson, Alabama State Health Officer
• Bruce Clements, Director of the Community Preparedness Section, Texas Department of State Health  Services

SESSION V. RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES AND DATA SOURCES
10:30 a.m. Panel Discussion. Critical Thinking: What Research Methodologies and Data Sources Could Be Used in Surveillance and Monitoring Activities?
Moderator: John C. Bailar III, University of Chicago

• Overview of Research Methodologies and Data Collection - Lynn R. Goldman, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Surveillance and Monitoring - Thomas D. Matte, Hunter College, City University of New York
• Environmental Assessment, Risk, & Health - William H. Farland, Colorado State University
• Mental Health - Howard Osofsky, Louisiana State University
• Biomedical Informatics and Registries - Daniel R. Masys, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

12:20 p.m. LUNCH (on your own)
SESSION VI. FUTURE DIRECTIONS AND RESOURCE NEEDS
1:30 p.m. Panel Discussion. Looking Ahead: How Do We Develop Effective Surveillance and Monitoring Systems?
Moderator: David A. Savitz, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

• Nancy E. Adler, University of California, San Francisco
• John C. Bailar III, University of Chicago
• Lynn R. Goldman, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Maureen Y. Lichtveld, Tulane University
• Linda A. McCauley, Emory University
• Kenneth Olden, Hunter College of the City University of New York
• Linda Rosenstock, University of California, Los Angeles

3:20 p.m. Closing RemarksNancy E. Adler, University of California, San Francisco
3:30 p.m. ADJOURN