Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill Health consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill The Health consequences of the "Deepwater Horizon" oil spill are health effects related to the explosion of the "Deepwater Horizon" offshore drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010. An oil discharge continued for 84 days, resulting in the largest oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry, estimated at approximately 206 million gallons (4.9 million barrels). The spill exposed thousands of area residents and cleanup workers to risks associated with oil fumes, particulate matter from controlled burns, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy
Volume and extent of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill collected before it could enter the Gulf waters. In its permit to drill the well, BP estimated the worst-case flow at . Immediately after the explosion the USCG did not estimate any oil leaking from the sunken rig or from the well. On 24 April, USCG Rear Admiral Mary Landry announced that a damaged wellhead was indeed leaking. She stated that "the leak was a new discovery but could have begun when the offshore platform sank . . . two days after the initial explosion." Initial estimates by USCG and BP officials, based on remotely operated vehicles as well as