BP Provides $10 Million For Oil Spill Health Study
September 8, 2010 at 3:00 AM by AHN · Leave a Comment
Houston, Texas, United States (AHN) – Energy giant BP has provided $10 million to support a study of potential public health issues in the aftermath of Mexico Gulf oil spill and other spill-related health research.
The funding was granted to National Institutes of Health (NIH) under its Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GRI).
GRI is a $500 million independent research program established by BP to better understand and mitigate environmental and potential health effects of Gulf spill.
The NIH will utilize the funds to expedite work in support of research priorities identified at Institute of Medicine (IOM) workshop commissioned by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius.
The priority agenda is summarized in IOM report “Assessing the Effects of the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill on Human Health,” released on Aug. 10.
The BP funding will allow NIH to build on efforts by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Unified Command.
The funds are intended to support the immediate needs of researchers, including Gulf Coast academic institutions and local and state agencies, in understanding potential acute and long-term health impacts of exposures to oil, dispersed oil and dispersants.
“BP in collaboration with Unified Command provided task specific training, supplied personal protective equipment and conducted extensive environmental and worker monitoring to protect the health of response workers involved in the cleanup,” said Bob Dudley, CEO of BP’s Gulf Coast Restoration Organization.
He added “there is much still to be learned from the incident.”
“BP is providing funding to NIH because it is well positioned to assure quality and integrity of independent research process,” said Dudley.
Decisions regarding fund distribution will be made by NIH with input from Gulf state academic institutions and state and local officials to ensure effective coordination with work currently being conducted.
All project proposals will be peer reviewed by appropriate experts, and data, measurement information and findings from NIH-funded studies will be made fully and openly available in accordance with standard practice applicable to this type of research.
The process for awarding future funding under GRI is currently under development in consultation with Gulf state governors’ offices.
