BP Gives $10 Million For Health Study

BP announced on Sept. 7 that it will give $10 million to NIH to study potential human-health effects related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The money will help NIH expedite a study that will examine the health of workers who responded to the crisis. NIH Director Francis S. Collins pledged in June to use $10 million of existing NIH funds for the worker study (C&EN, July 5, page 21). The additional money provided by BP doubles the amount of funding available for studying human-health effects related to exposure to oil and chemical dispersants. In addition to examining respiratory, neurobehavioral, and immunological effects, the study plans to investigate mental health effects on workers. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will lead the study.