4.7 Article

Deepwater Horizon 2010: Subsea dispersants protected responders from VOC exposure

Journal

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
Volume 173, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113034

Keywords

Sub-sea dispersant injection; Worker health; VOC exposure; Oil spill

Ask authors/readers for more resources

The controversy surrounding the use of Sub-Sea Dispersant Injection (SSDI) during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill to minimize exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOC) remains. However, extensive evidence suggests that SSDI can reduce peak concentrations of VOC that pose immediate health concerns for workers, indicating its importance in minimizing potential exposure to VOC and the need for its inclusion in guidelines and regulations for dispersant use.
Controversy remains on the use of Sub-Sea Dispersant Injection (SSDI) during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill to minimize the exposure of responders on surface vessels to volatile organic compounds (VOC). Here, we use extensive evidence ( 0.001) during subsea dispersant use, and incidents of peak concentrations ( 50 ppm VOC) that could have been an immediate concern to worker health were reduced by a factor of ~6 to 19 when dispersants were delivered at the intended rate. SSDI thus played an important role in minimizing potential exposure to VOC, and should be embedded in guidelines and regulations for dispersant use.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.7
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available