Chemical exposure from the Hebei spirit oil spill accident and its long-term effects on mental health

While evidence indicates that exposure to oil spill incidents can affect mental health, it is unclear whether the mental health effects result from the incident itself or from exposure to associated chemicals. Oil contains chemicals that can impact mental health and these chemicals may have long-term effects due to their persistence in the environment. To address the gap in current knowledge, we conducted cross-sectional and prospective analyses of data from adults who participated in the Health Effects of the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill study. To assess chemical exposure from oil spills, we used indirect exposure indicators such as distance from the contaminated oil band to residences and duration of clean-up work, along with direct exposure indicators such as urine metabolite concentrations of volatile organic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Mental health assessments covered posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, state anxiety, and trait anxiety. In the cross-sectional analyses, all four mental health issues were found to be associated with proximity to the oil band (p-value<0.05) and showed a positive association with clean-up work duration (p-value<0.05). Cox regression analysis revealed that higher urinary t, t-muconic acid levels were associated with an increased risk of depression (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 1.55, 95 % Confidence Interval [CI] = 1.05–2.28), and elevated 1-hydroxypyrene levels increased the risk of PTSD (HR = 1.60, 95 % CI = 1.03–2.48). Additionally, higher urinary 2-naphthol levels were associated with increased state anxiety (HR = 1.39, 95 % CI = 1.00–1.93) and trait anxiety (HR = 1.64, 95 % CI = 1.15–2.32). These associations persisted even after controlling for distance and duration variables related to psychosocial exposure. Our findings suggest that environmental disaster response plans should prioritize minimizing chemical exposure while also considering the duration and nature of the mental health impacts.