scholarly journals Toxicity of Flare and Crude Hydrocarbon Mixtures

2002 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 1418-1425
Author(s):  
Sonja V. Cook ◽  
Angus Chu ◽  
Ron Goodman

The toxicity of whole, saturate, and aromatic hydrocarbon mixtures from flare pit and crude oil sources were evaluated usingLumbricus terrestris. Body burden analysis was used to analyze the intrinsic toxicity of the six hydrocarbon mixtures. The major fractions of the whole mixtures, the saturate, and aromatic fractions had different intrinsic toxicities; the aromatics were more toxic than the saturates. The toxicity of the saturate and aromatic fractions also differed between the mixtures. The flare saturate mixture was more toxic than the crude saturate mixture, while the crude aromatic mixture was more toxic than the flare aromatic mixture. The most dramatic difference in toxicity of the two sources was between the flare whole and crude whole mixtures. The crude whole mixture was very toxic; the toxicity of this mixture reflected the toxicity of the crude aromatic fraction. However, the flare whole mixture was not toxic, due to a lack of partitioning from the whole mixture into the lipid membrane of the exposed worms. This lack of partitioning appears to be related to the relatively high concentrations of asphaltenes and polar compounds in the flare pit whole mixture.

2002 ◽  
Vol 110 (suppl 6) ◽  
pp. 1005-1011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth F Reardon ◽  
Douglas C Mosteller ◽  
Julia Bull Rogers ◽  
Nancy M DuTeau ◽  
Kee-Hong Kim

1987 ◽  
Vol 1987 (1) ◽  
pp. 445-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steve K. Alexander ◽  
James W. Webb

ABSTRACT A single spill of crude oil in a salt marsh is generally considered to have limited biological effects. A crude oil spill in Dickinson Bayou (in the Galveston Bay system of Texas) in January 1984 provided the opportunity to test this hypothesis in salt marshes exposed to varying amounts of oil. Growth of Spartina alterniflora was unaffected in light to moderately oiled sediments (less than 5 mg oil/g sediment). However, growth was significantly reduced in sediments with high oil content (5 to 51 mg/g) through 18 months. Erosion of shoreline areas with high oil content was evident by 16 months and continued through 32 months. These results demonstrate the adverse effect of high concentrations of crude oil in salt marsh sediments. Each crude oil spill must be evaluated individually with regard to the likelihood of significant accumulation of oil in sediments before a decision is made regarding a cleanup response.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (1) ◽  
pp. 2078-2095
Author(s):  
Wade A. Narin van Court ◽  
Michael S. Hildebrand ◽  
Gregory G. Noll

ABSTRACT ID: 2017-145. In July 2016, TRC Environmental Corporation (TRC) and Hildebrand and Noll Associates, Inc. (HNA) were requested to develop planning guidance on train derailments involving large volumes/high concentrations of denatured ethanol for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). As part of this project, as well as similar projects conducted by HNA for other clients, TRC and HNA assessed current firefighting strategies for the release of ethanol and/or crude oil from High Hazard Flammable Trains (HHFT) and developed the planning assumptions necessary to prepare for these types of incidents. For these projects, studies and in-depth analyses of 27 HHFT derailments resulting in tank cars breaches that occurred in the United States and Canada involving denatured ethanol1 (ethanol) and/or crude oil2 from 2006 through 2015 were performed. The analyses were primarily based on the information from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), and/or Transport Canada (TC) databases, with supplemental information from news reports in some cases. The objective of these analyses was to identify key planning assumptions that would be used in developing appropriate firefighting strategies by focusing on the number and types of cars derailed, approximate train speeds at the time of the derailment, number of cars breached, amount of product released, and whether or not the released product caught fire. Additionally, the studies included obtaining and reviewing information on the properties and characteristics of ethanol, crude oils, and other Class 3 flammable materials, as well as information for railroad tank cars. Insights and understandings gained from these studies were used to further develop the firefighting strategies for HHFT derailment fires.


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