State offering free health screenings to Mayflower oil-spill victims

Friday, August 30, 2013

Mayflower residents who fear adverse health effects from the March 29 Pegasus oil pipeline spill can get free health screenings, Gov. Mike Beebe announced Thursday.

After Tuesday, the Department of Health-sponsored assessments will be provided by appointment only on weekdays and will be conducted with the assistance of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. The appointments can be made by contacting the Faulkner County Health Unit in Conway.

U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin, R-Ark., said he had asked thegovernor’s office to provide the health assessments.

Several state and federal agencies have monitored health and environmental effects since the rupture of the Exxon Mobil Pegasus pipeline that released an estimated 210,000 gallons of Wabasca heavy crude into the Northwoods subdivision.

The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency performed air monitoring around the spill area, said Ed Barham, a spokesman for the Arkansas Department of Health, adding that the Health Department also had analyzed the results.

There have been about 1.7 million tests performed in the area since the spill, he said.

Air-quality tests for known carcinogens, including benzene and toluene, have shown a steady decline since the spill, and the carcinogens are now below detectable levels, Barham said.

Contractors for Exxon Mobil also have performed soil and water testing.

Results from the first sediment tests conducted in the cove of Lake Conway are expected to be returned in the next two weeks, a state Department of Environmental Quality spokesman said.

The oil spill forced the long-term evacuation of 22 homes in the Mayflower subdivision, and residents living nearby but outside the evacuation area have complained of headaches, nausea and dizziness.

In the nearly five months since the spill, the Health Department has received 37 calls to its poison-control hotline involving 19 individual cases. Of those cases, nine were recorded between March 29 and June 17, and 10 were recorded after July 31.

The department has sent staff members to at least 10 town-hall meetings to answer questions and hear complaints.

“Our concern is that we listen to the community and help them recover from this and help them heal,” Barham said.

Barham said he wasn’t sure how many residents would request health assessments, but that it is an additional way to address concerns.

“I think that this may make it easier for those who feel they have symptoms that may be connected to the oil spill to get medical attention,” Barham said.

The assessments will include an interview with a nurse who will ask about health concerns and symptoms that may be related to the oil spill. The interviews may then be followed up with additional evaluations by specialists from the Health Department and UAMS.

Griffin said in an interview that he asked for the governor’s office to provide some form of health assessment after he met with residentsearlier this week. But he said the state should not ultimately foot the bill for the assessments.

“If there’s money needed to address any of the health concerns, I think Exxon ought to pay for it,” Griffin said. “Obviously these folks didn’t ask for the oil spill. That seems like a no-brainer to me.”

Aaron Stryk, a spokesman for Exxon Mobil Corp., said the Health Department is taking the lead on the program but that the company would eventually cover the cost of any valid health claims. The company has spent $57.5 million on cleanup activities through Aug. 15. That includes compensation for medical claims.

“As we’ve said from the beginning, we’re committed to paying for the cleanup and all valid claims related to the incident,” Stryk said.

He said 19 of the 22 homes that were evacuated have been cleared by the Health Department for re-entry without restrictions.

Two families have moved back into their homes, and two or three homeowners plan to return soon, Stryk said.

Exxon Mobil has purchased three of the homes in Mayflower’s Northwoods subdivision. Also, the company is buying 17 other houses, with the prices based on prespill appraised values, Stryk said.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 08/30/2013