The deepwater horizon oil spill coast guard cohort study: A cross-sectional study of acute respiratory health symptoms.

•Cross sectional analyses of crude oil/dispersant exposures and acute respiratory symptoms in disaster responders.•Elevated prevalence ratios for coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing with crude oil exposure.•Increasing crude oil inhalation and dermal contact showed increasing likelihood for respiratory symptoms.•Combination of crude oil and dispersants showed associations greater in magnitude than oil alone.•We found strong relationships between crude oil/dispersant exposures and acute respiratory symptoms.