VOLATILE HYDROCARBON EXPOSURE DURING IN-SITU BURNING OF CRUDE-OIL AT SEA

Personal exposure of response workers (a nd other personnel) to volati le hydrocarbons a nd benzene was monitored as part of the Newfoundland Offshore Burn Experiment (NOBE), a major oil spill combustion trial o rganized by Environment Canada and sponsored by over 25 governmental a nd private organizations from Canada and the United States. Benzene an d total petroleum hydrocarbons were monitored using organic vapor moni tors and charcoal tubes and analyzed by gas chromatography. Benzene an d total petroleum hydrocarbon exposures were generally very low during experiments involving in situ burning (the controlled combustion of o il on water); over 95% of the determinations were below the analytical limit of detection, which was usually less than 0.1 ppm. in situ burn ing of unweathered crude oil al an accidental oil spill would probably be associated with higher exposure to benzene and other volatile hydr ocarbons than at NOBE if the crude (1) had a higher natural benzene co ntent than the Alberta Sweet Mixed Blend used at NOBE, (2) was less we athered than the oil in this study, or (3) had a larger evaporating cr ude surface area. Under the conditions of this experiment, the in situ burning process itself did not appear to present a significant benzen e exposure risk to spill response personnel. Although these results su ggest that the in situ burning process itself does not appear to prese nt a significant benzene exposure risk to spill response person nei, t he hazards of each accidental spill scene (regard less of spill counte rmeasures employed) must be evaluated and understood to assure worker safety.