Media Advisory

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Largest oil spill health study to launch along Gulf Coast

What:

The GuLF STUDY (Gulf Long-term Follow-up Study), to help learn if oil spills and exposure to crude oil and dispersants affect physical and mental health, will launch in states along the Gulf Coast in February 2011. The study is being conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

A teleconference will take place with media to review the study and allow for a question and answer session.

Please RSVP with your intent to participate to tragusa@deveney.com.

Who:

Dale P. Sandler, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator and Chief
Epidemiology Branch
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences For a biography, visit: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/atniehs/labs/epi/chronic/index.cfm

Aubrey Miller, M.D. Senior Medical Advisor National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
For a biography, visit: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/about/od/advisor/miller/index.cfm

When:

Monday, February 28, 2011 11:00 a.m. CST / Noon EST

Where:

In the U.S. and Canada, call 1-866-548-2699 Outside the U.S. and Canada, call 1-904-271-2009

Why:

Over time, the GuLF STUDY will generate important data that may help inform policy decisions on health care and health services in the region. Findings may also influence responses to other oil spills in the future.

The NIEHS supports research to understand the effects of the environment on human health and is part of NIH. For more information on environmental health topics, visit www.niehs.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

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