Dermatological effects of gulf oil

描述（由申请人提供）：最近的英国石油公司墨西哥湾漏油事件无疑是美国历史上最严重的人为漏油事件，甚至使1989年臭名昭著的埃克森瓦尔迪兹号漏油事件相形见绌。清理石油泄漏的工人往往会对健康产生无数的影响，比如皮肤、肺和神经系统问题。皮肤的炎症性疾病在工作场所几乎无处不在。全世界高达50%的工人在任何时候都患有皮炎（Diepgen, 2007），在美国报告的与工人赔偿相关的职业伤害中，接触性皮炎总体上排名第二，影响所有行业的工人（Beltrani, 2003）。皮炎主要分为刺激性和过敏性两种表现。这些病理之间的主要区别通常被描述为疾病是否涉及T细胞的免疫起源（过敏性）；或非免疫来源（刺激），其中物理损伤被认为是主要的起始事件。由于最近的一份报告发现，来自墨西哥湾石油泄漏的石油样本确实是一种皮肤刺激物，因此本应用程序的第一个具体目标将是确定相关的炎症反应。老鼠将暴露在新鲜和风化的油或对照组中7天。皮肤样本将通过组织学和流式细胞术评估炎症细胞因子表达和炎症细胞浸润。第二个具体目标是试图确定泄漏原油的哪些成分可能与皮炎有关。首先，提取油暴露小鼠皮肤，采用气相色谱-质谱法测定石油化学成分。还有一种可能是微生物污染的油可能会引起刺激或过敏。因此，将通过rRNA分析从石油样品中评估和鉴定海洋细菌种群。该项目的最终目标是确定溢油皮炎的性质，以便进行合理的风险评估和暴露指南。由于对石油泄漏对健康的影响知之甚少，这些数据也将通过为未来的研究提供方向，有助于进一步对这种病理进行机制调查。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The recent gulf BP oil spill is undoubtedly the worst man made oil spill in US history, dwarfing even the notorious Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. Oil spill clean up workers tend to have a myriad of health effects, such as skin, lung, and neurological problems. Inflammatory disorders of the skin are almost ubiquitous in the work place. Up to 50% of workers world-wide suffer from dermatitis at any time (Diepgen, 2007) and of reported occupational injury associated with workman's compensation in the US, contact dermatitis ranks second most prevalent overall, affecting workers in all industries (Beltrani, 2003). Dermatitis is divided into two main manifestations, that of irritant and allergic. The major difference between these pathologies is often described as whether the disease is of immunological origin (allergic) where T Cells are involved; or of non-immunological origin (irritant) where physical damage is thought to be the major initiating event. Since a very recent report found that oil samples from the Gulf Oil Spill were indeed a skin irritant, the focus of the first specific aim of this application will be to define the associated inflammatory response. Mice will be exposed to fresh and weathered oil or controls for seven days. Skin samples will be assessed for inflammatory cytokine expression, and inflammatory cell infiltration by histology and flow cytometry. The second specific aim will attempt to identify what components of spilled crude oil might be associated with dermatitis. First, skin of oil exposed mice will be extracted and petrochemicals will be determined by GC-MS analysis. There is also the possibility that microbial contamination of oil may lend itself to irritancy or allergy. Thus, marine bacteria populations will be assessed and identified from oil samples by rRNA analysis. The ultimate goal of this project is to identify the nature of oil spill dermatitis, allowing for rational risk assessment and exposure guidelines. Since little is known concerning oil spill health effects, these data will also aid in the further mechanistic investigations of this pathology by providing direction for future research. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The recent BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill is undoubtedly the worst marine oil spill in US history, dwarfing even the notorious Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. Oil spill clean up workers tend to have a myriad of health effects, such as skin, lung, and neurological problems. This proposal aims to investigate the dermal effects of fresh and weathered oil from the recent BP oil spill. As little to nothing is known concerning the pathology of oil spill dermatitis, this project would define what type of dermatitis is elicited by repeated exposure to weathered and fresh oil, whether it is irritant or allergic in nature. The project would also attempt to identify components of weathered oil that might be associated with formation of dermatitis. This research will aid in risk assessment and the development for exposure guidelines for oil spill workers as well as populations adjacent to oil spill areas.