The purpose of the GuLF STUDY is to investigate potential short- and long-term health effects associated with oil spill clean-up activities and exposures related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, and to create a resource for additional collaborative research on focused hypotheses or subgroups. Exposures range from negligible to potentially significant; however, potential long-term human health consequences are largely unknown due to insufficient research in this area.
The study has enrolled 32,762 participants with a range of jobs/exposures, including participants who performed various types of clean-up-related work ("exposed") and other who did not ("unexposed" controls). Of the 32,762 enrolled into the Full Cohort, 20,000 have been assigned to the Active Follow-up Sub-cohort, and 6,000 of these have been assigned to the Biomedical Surveillance Sub-cohort.
In order to minimize loss to follow-up, updated contact information will be collected yearly for the Full Cohort. Follow-up questionnaires will be administered biennially to the Active Follow-up Sub-Cohort to assess changes in health status and factors that could confound associations between exposures and outcomes. A supplemental mental health questionnaire will be administered four times over a 2-year period to a subset of 4,600 participants in the Active Follow-up Sub-cohort to assess mental health trajectories among those affected by the oil spill and utilization of mental health services in the Gulf region. Participants in the Biomedical Surveillance Sub-cohort will be invited to take part in a comprehensive research-based clinical examination.
US Code:
42 USC 281
Name of Law: Public Health Service Act
This revision and continuation is a program change due to agency discretion and represents the estimated burden for the first three years of the follow-up phase of the GuLF STUDY. The primary objectives of the GuLF STUDY continue to be the assessment of a wide range of potential short- and long-term human health effects associated with clean-up and disposal activities surrounding the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.