Effects of Oil as a Hazardous Waste

In recent years, oil pollution has received widespread attention. The problem of environmental hydrocarbon contamination was probably most clearly defined in March, 1989, when the oil tanker, Exxon Valdez, ran aground in Prince William Sound. Since then, there have been numerous other spills, both on land and at sea. In an effort to quell the destruction, government has enacted several statutes designed to hold polluters accountable. These laws broadly affect various aspects of oil pollution: they regulate everything from supertankers to the disposal of used motor oil. Moreover, in areas already contaminated, the measures may call for remedial action. An array of remediation techniques exists which can be employed to rid a site of hydrocarbon pollution. In general, a process of risk assessment is used to elucidate those methods most appropriate to the specific location.

Petroleum is a widely-used commodity distributed throughout the world. Unfortunately, contamination of the environment by hydrocarbons is a relatively common occurrence. Releases into the sea may occur as a result of transportation activities. In fact, most marine oil pollution involves normal tanker operations: 22% of marine oil releases come from intentional holding tank purging activities. Other sources of pollution include tanker accidents (12%), industrial sources (about 31%), atmospheric deposition (about 9%), urban and river runoff (about 5%), offshore oil

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f petroleumcontaminated sites. For the most part, risk assessment entails the formulation of appropriate management decisions relating to "the levels of cleanup warranted under specific scenarios (AsanteDuah, 1990, p. 493). These techniques are used in the regulatory programs of federal, state, and local government agencies. Even the EPA uses risk assessment to decide whether or notand to what extentany given location merits remedial measures. A number of different factors are used to evaluate risk at any particular site. First and foremost, regulators establish the "degree to which human health, safety, or welfare may be affected by exposure to chemical constituents" (AsanteDuah, 1990, p. 494). In addition, the effects of the petroleum contamination on the environment are assessed. Other factors considered include the sitespecific characteristics and both the current and future beneficial uses of the affected land and subsurface resources. Hence, all variables must be taken into account before any regulatory standards any be applied appropriately. Estimating the risk to the public from exposure to a petroleum component requires considerable information. For one, the nature and severity of the chemical's toxici

Category: Science - E