(PDF) Louisiana death certificate accuracy: a concern for the public’s health

Source: (PDF) Louisiana death certificate accuracy: a concern for the public’s health

The GuLF Study will be completing their study about the long term health effects of the BP DWH oil spill. One factor they are relying on is the analysis of death certificates to determine suicides and deaths related to the exposure. The accuracy of the death certificates causes Disappearing Victims concern. Based on the State of Louisiana’s own report, how can this method be credible as it will likely reflect that many deaths had nothing to do with the oil spill?

Dr. Dale Sandler, chief investigator of the study, was invited to be a guest speaker to cover our concerns in a multi-parish townhall video conference but declined the invitation. We were also concerned with the method of interviewing clean-up workers which is through telephone survey and medical visits. Many victims reported to us their distrust of the GuLF Study because they believed that BP was behind it. One victim reported she would not let them in because she figured they would say mold or some other thing in the household caused the multiple myeloma that her husband got years after he rescued workers from the Gulf immediately after the spill.