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Understanding Hazards of Petroleum and Spill Response Agents in Inland Spills - June 23, 2022
Citation:
Barron, M., R. Conmy, D. Sundaravadivelu, M. Alloy, G. Wilson, AND V. Principe. Understanding Hazards of Petroleum and Spill Response Agents in Inland Spills - June 23, 2022. InterSpill, Amsterdam, N/A, NETHERLANDS, June 21 - 23, 2022.
Impact/Purpose:
The purpose of this work is to communicate ongoing EPA research on the hazards of oil and spill response agents relevant to inland spills. EPA is the lead agency for responding to inland spills and for listing agents used in oil spill response. The impact of this work is that better understanding the hazards of oil and spill response agents will provide for more informed regulation, preparedness, and spill response in inland waters.
Description:
Preparing for and responding to inland oil spills requires an understanding of the hazards and ecological risks of using spill response agents in freshwater environments. The majority of oil products and spill response agents have insufficient toxicity data for assessing hazards to freshwater environments, typically relying on a few standard test species. In the U.S., product listing currently only requires testing with two saltwater species, an estuarine fish (Menidia beryllina) and crustacean (Americamysis bahia). The acute toxicity of oil spill response agents can vary across product type and species, and even within specific categories of agents such as dispersants. Current U.S. EPA research is expanding the knowledge base on the effects of oil and spill agents in freshwater environments, including assessing the hazards of unconventional oils such as dilbits in water and sediment, and surface washing and herding agents to a greater diversity of species (S. capricornutum, P. promelas, C. dubia). Better understanding the hazards of oil and spill agents will provide for more informed regulation, preparedness, and spill response in inland waters.