"The EPA is warning that Gulf Coast residents are at risk of headaches, nausea, and other ill health effects; the culprit is air pollution from the oil burns that response teams are conducting to try to keep the big slick away from coastlines.

"The BP Oil Spill in the Gulf could cause an odor similar to that of a gas station for communities along the affected coast," warns the site the EPA set up on the disaster... .

Likewise, the Mississippi State Department of Health advises staying indoors, ventilating with air conditioning, and avoiding strenuous activity."

Jonathan Hiskes reports for Grist May 3, 2010. [2]