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Screening Level Assessment of Risks Due to Dioxin Emissions from Burning Oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico Spill
Citation:
SCHAUM, J., M. Cohen, S. G. PERRY, R. Artz, R. Draxler, JEFFREY B. FRITHSEN, D. HEIST, M. LORBER, AND L. PHILLIPS. Screening Level Assessment of Risks Due to Dioxin Emissions from Burning Oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico Spill. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 44(24):9383-9389, (2011).
Impact/Purpose:
The National Exposure Research Laboratory′s (NERL′s) Atmospheric Modeling and Analysis Division (AMAD) conducts research in support of EPA′s mission to protect human health and the environment. AMAD′s research program is engaged in developing and evaluating predictive atmospheric models on all spatial and temporal scales for forecasting the Nation′s air quality and for assessing changes in air quality and air pollutant exposures, as affected by changes in ecosystem management and regulatory decisions. AMAD is responsible for providing a sound scientific and technical basis for regulatory policies based on air quality models to improve ambient air quality. The models developed by AMAD are being used by EPA, NOAA, and the air pollution community in understanding and forecasting not only the magnitude of the air pollution problem, but also in developing emission control policies and regulations for air quality improvements.
Description:
Between April 28 and July 19 of 2010, the U.S. Coast Guard conducted in situ oil burns as one approach used for the management of oil spilled after the explosion and subsequent sinking of the BP Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico. The purpose of this paper is to describe a screening level assessment of the exposures and risks posed by the dioxin emissions from these fires. Using upper estimates for the oil burn emission factor, modeled air and fish concentrations, and conservative exposure assumptions, the potential cancer risk was estimated for three scenarios: inhalation exposure to workers, inhalation exposure to residents on the mainland, and fish ingestion exposures to residents. U.S. EPA’s AERMOD model was used to estimate air concentrations in the immediate vicinity of the oil burns and NOAA’s HYSPLIT model was used to estimate more distant air concentrations and deposition rates. The lifetime incremental cancer risks were estimated as 6 × 10-8 for inhalation by workers, 6 × 10-12 for inhalation by onshore residents, and 6 × 10-8 for fish consumption by residents. For all scenarios, the risk estimates represent upper bounds and actual risks would be expected to be less.
URLs/Downloads:
Screening Level Assessment of Risks Due to Dioxin Emissions from Burning Oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf of Mexico Spill (PDF, NA pp, 5858 KB, about PDF)Environmental Science and Techcnology
