Holland Invited to Discuss Gulf Coast Oil Spill

Dr. Michael Holland of Glens Falls Hospital’s Center for Occupational Health was invited to share his expertise on the human health impacts of workforce environmental exposures with a nationwide panel of physicians interested in the ongoing Gulf Coast oil spill. Dr. Holland, a board-certified specialist in occupational medicine, medical toxicology and emergency medicine, participated in a 40-minute telephone briefing with members of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) on Friday, June 25, 2010.

Dr. Holland will be available for news media interviews on the Gulf Coast crisis by appointment in the coming days. To arrange an interview with Dr. Holland, please call Phil Kahn, Communications Coordinator at Glens Falls Hospital at 518-926-1818.

Dr. Holland, a member of the Board of Directors and Chair of ACOEMs Occupational and Clinical Toxicology Committee, was joined in the briefing by Dr. Robert M. Bourgeois. The two presenters discussed the unfolding events in the Gulf region and shared their thoughts on the health, environmental and fiscal impact of cleanup activities. According to Dr. Holland, despite the devastation in the Gulf Coast region, sampling data has shown virtually no exposures to anything harmful to any of the clean-up workers. “The spill is weathered crude oil and by the time it reaches shore all dangerous volatiles have evaporated leaving relatively harmless tar balls to be cleaned up,” says Dr. Holland. “This has been very good news to us in terms of our concerns for workers’ health and we’re hopeful there will be zero impact on their future health.”

Dr. Holland was elected to a three-year term on the ACOEM Board of Directors in late 2008 and has served for a number of years on the Occupational and Clinical Toxicology Committee, including the past two as Chair. He has done an extensive amount of work on environmental exposures over the years.

The American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine represents more than 5,000 physicians and other health care professionals specializing in the field of occupational and environmental medicine (OEM). Founded in 1916, ACOEM is the nation's largest medical society dedicated to promoting the health of workers through preventive medicine, clinical care, research, and education.

Glens Falls Hospital’s Center for Occupational Health is the leading source for quality workplace health care, serving more than 900 local, regional and national businesses in Upstate New York. The Center’s team of specially trained professionals – occupational health physicians, physician assistants and nurses – helps businesses maintain a healthier and more productive workforce by providing a wide variety of services.

Glens Falls Hospital is a 410-bed, not-for-profit, community hospital serving a six-county region of Northeastern New York. With more than 2,900 employees, it is the largest healthcare provider between Albany and Montreal, offering inpatient and outpatient care, including emergency care, medicine/surgery, obstetrics, coronary care, cancer care, physical and occupational rehabilitation, and community services.