A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF OIL FIRES ON FIRE BOOMS EMPLOYED DURING THEIN-SITU BURNING OF OIL

For over 10 years scientists have studied the effects of in situ burni ng of oil on air and water quality and potential related health issues . The recent Newfoundland Offshore Burn experiment, conducted by Envir onment Canada, was the culmination of several years of work. The resul ts of this experiment found that 'emissions from the in situ oil fire were lower than expected and all compounds and parameters measured wer e below health concerns at 150 m from the fire' (The Newfoundland Offs hore Burn Experiment-NOBE, Preliminary Results of Emissions Measuremen t). Polyaromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) were found to be lower in the soo t generated from the fire than in the starting oil prior to the fire. The conclusion reached was that the environmental benefits resulting f rom the burning of oil spills far outweigh the potential air pollution caused from the smoke. These findings now open the door on the use of in situ burning of oil as a major tool to be used to mitigate environ mental damage from oil spills. As a result of these and other test fin dings, Region 6 of the Regional Response Team (made up of the U.S. Coa st Guard, The Minerals Management Service, The Department of Environme ntal Quality, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other stat e and federal agencies) had pre-approved the use of in situ burning of oil spills for offshore Louisiana and Texas. Other parts of the count ry and other countries are evaluating the use of in sits burning to co mbat oil spills. Now that the scientific community has weighed the env ironmental costs and benefits of in situ burning it is time to address the operational and procedural issues.