THE

TOXICOLOGICAL
DISASTERS

BP’S DEEPWATER
HORIZON OIL SPILL
(2010).
1
 CAUSATIVE CHEMICAL AGENT:

Ignition was by released gas that entered the air intakes of the
diesel generators, and enveloped the area of the deck where the
exhaust outlets of the main generators emitted hot gases (methane
gas)

2
 TOXICOKINETICS:

▸ Propane gas poisoning of deep-horizon workers enters the

body through inhalation, causing the first damage to the
lungs and passing through and affecting the nervous system
and also the digestive system.

3
 TOXICODYNAMICS:

▸ The effects caused by methane gas in workers:

increased respiratory rate, headaches, dizziness,
vomiting, weakness in the body, loss of
coordination and even loss of consciousness. The
effects are according to the exposure time that the
person presents.

4
 CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS:

▸ Irritation of eyes, nose and throat

▸ Headache
▸ Dizziness
▸ Stomach ache
▸ Cough or shortness of breath

5
 HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND
CONSEQUENCES:

▸ On April 20, 2010, the platform that was drilling the

“Macondo” oil well exploded, killing eleven people and
subsequently sank, spilling some 4.9 million barrels of oil
into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The first impacts of
the spill were located in the marshes of the mouth and the
delta of the Mississippi, with the appearance of turtles,
dolphins and several species of dead or stunned seabirds.

6
 Bibliographic Reference
▸ CDC - Derrames de Petróleo - Temas de salud y seguridad de NIOSH. (2021).
Retrieved 29 April 2021, from
https://www.cdc.gov/spanish/niosh/topics/petroleo.html
▸ Intoxicación (envenenamiento) por hidrocarburos - Traumatismos y
envenenamientos - Manual MSD versión para público general. (2021).
Retrieved 29 April 2021.
▸ Pallardy, R. (2021, April 13). Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Encyclopedia
Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Deepwater-Horizon-oil-spill