IMPACT ON SHELLFISH COMMUNITIES IN THE GULF OF MEXICOAsim Bej, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Biology in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences. Bej is available for expert analysis and commentary on the oil slick’s impact on the shellfish communities in the Gulf of Mexico, most specifically on the oyster populations along the Gulf Coast. “This oil spill is indeed an environmental disaster causing the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem peril of an epic proportion,” Bej says. “The crude oil moving through the Gulf waters contains polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are known to be carcinogenic, mutagenic and capable of causing other developmental defects in oysters and other shellfish that are exposed to the compounds.”
LITTLE RISK OIL SPILL WILL HARM HUMANSJanyce Sanford, M.D., is chair of the UAB Department of Emergency Medicine. Sanford is available for expert analysis and commentary on the oil slick’s impact on health concerns with humans coming into contact with the oil. While the risk to wildlife and the environment is substantial, Sanford says there is little risk from oil exposure to humans. “Contact with oil in the water or on the beach might produce a skin rash, but there are no significant health-related concerns for humans,” she says. “Workers involved in the cleanup are more likely to be exposed to oil, but they are instructed to wear protective clothing to minimize contact.” Sanford says it would be prudent to avoid obvious oil-covered beaches or oil in the water, but that the greatest risk is to waterfowl and marine mammals.
IMPACT ON GULF COAST TOURISM AND RETAILBob Robicheaux, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Marketing, Industrial Distribution and Economics in the UAB School of Business. Robicheaux is available for expert analysis and commentary on the oil slick’s impact on Gulf Coast tourism and retail. “People are making their plans for summer vacations at the Gulf Coast now,” he says. “From Gulf Shores and Mobile to Gulfport and Biloxi, the restaurants, grocery stores and retailers along the coast will suffer during the season when they traditionally collect the bulk of their annual revenues.”
IMPACT ON GULF COAST REAL ESTATE VALUESLarry Cowart, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Accounting and Finance in the UAB School of Business with a research background in real estate. Cowart is available for expert analysis and commentary on the oil slick’s impact on Gulf Coast real estate values. “The real estate impacts of the oil spill hinge on tourist behaviors,” Cowart says. “If the tourists stay away in large number over long periods of time, you will see an immediate negative impact on the rental properties. As the owners of those rental properties bring in less money, you’ll see the value of those properties drop off.”
CAN PR STRATEGY HELP REPAIR BP’S IMAGE?John Wittig, Ph.D., is a professor of Public Relations in the UAB Department of Communication Studies. Wittig is available for comment on how an effective public relations strategy can help repair a company’s image. “BP may attempt a public relations strategy to separate the BP gas station owner from BP the oil giant to minimize damage to its brand, says Wittig. “After the tanker Exxon Valdez spilled nearly 11 million gallons of oil near Alaska in 1989, the public became angry and many refused to buy Exxon gasoline,” he says. “So, Exxon launched a commercial that portrayed the Exxon gas station owner as the friendly guy who was just part of the neighborhood. It’s a similar strategy that Toyota is taking today.” It is unclear however, how successful the strategy actually was, says Wittig, “People may have simply forgotten about the Exxon Valdez over time. BP’s best strategy will be to fix the leak as quickly as possible, because, at least in the short term, once the oil reaches the beaches and the public sees images of dead birds and fish, no public relations strategy will really matter.”
About UABKnown for its innovative and interdisciplinary approach to education at both the graduate and undergraduate levels, the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is an internationally renowned research university and academic medical center and the state of Alabama’s largest employer. For more information, please visit www.uab.edu.
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