Do toxins from oil spills cause TB?
Patient: My wife passed two years ago. She had TB and was hospitalized for 6 weeks after which she had conjestive heart disease. She had an attack and drowned in our tube.My son and I found her. Tjhe TB was believed to be caused by the toxins from the oil spill. We lived on the beach and cleaned up the tar balls. She had a compermized imune system any way. But she was getting stronger each da, until the TB. In your opnion is it more likely the three are inter-related. Doctor: Thanks for your question on HCM. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by infection with bacteria.Bacteria responsible for this is Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. It is spread by inhalation of infected droplets.So it is not caused by oil spills.And yes, you are right about low immunity. Not all infected, develop disease. Only those who have low immunity develop disease. So low immunity can be the cause for tuberculosis, but not the oil spills.