Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE:

A chemical spill from an oil refinery exposed the local community to more than 40,000 lb of highly toxic and corrosive hydrofluoric acid. A community based symptom prevalence study found an association between exposure and physical symptoms: the psychological impact of the disaster and its potential effect on the reporting of physical symptoms is examined here.

DESIGN:

The study used a population based survey design consisting of two phases: phase I, the exposure phase, and, phase II, the symptom prevalence phase.

SUBJECTS: