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Environmental releases of crude oil present unique challenges with regards to the assessment of potential airborne exposures. An understanding of crude oil’s chemical and physical characteristics, toxicological information, exposure standards and guidelines, potential chemicals of concern, and air monitoring and sampling strategies is critical when evaluating hazards and communicating precautions to site personnel and the general public. Multiple factors contribute to the airborne concentration of chemicals following a crude oil release; these include, but are not limited to, the type of crude oil released, the nature of the release, crude oil weathering, meteorological conditions during the release, and the presence or absence of fire. Air-monitoring data available from recent spills has provided information to determine and prioritize chemicals of potential concern following a crude oil release. Data from air samples collected above freshly surfaced crude oil during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and an evaluation of Bakken crude oil versus non-Bakken crude oil are presented and discussed.

Murphy Oil Corporation owns and operates the 100,000 barrel/day Meraux Refinery in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. Crude oil storage at the refinery occurs primarily in three 250,000 barrel (bbl) an...

(1995). Evaluation of residential exposure to arsenic in soil near a superfund site. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal: Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 323-335.

Soil cleanup guidelines were developed for diesel fuel No. 2 that are protective of human health. Guidelines were conservatively based on a residential land use scenario. This scenario estimates human health risks associated with long‐term exposure to site soil via the inhalation, dermal, and ingestion routes of exposure. Lifetime dermal cancer studies were selected as the basis for deriving a safe level of diesel fuel in soil. Soil cleanup guidelines for diesel fuel No. 2 ranged from 1166 to 11,287 mg/kg for adult or child residents and represent contaminant levels that pose acceptable health risks for both present and proposed future uses of a site.

Previous studies have suggested a significant role for reproductive tract glutathione in protecting against chemical-induced germ-cell mutations. Therefore, a number of compounds were tested for their ability to perturb glutathione levels in the testes and epididymides as well as liver following single acute dosages to rats. Phorone (250 mg/kg), isophorone (500 mg/kg), and diethyl maleate (500 mg/kg) significantly reduced glutathione in the liver and in both reproductive organs examined. Methyl iodide (100 mg/kg), trimethyl phosphate (600 mg/kg), naphthalene (500 mg/kg), acetaminophen (1500 mg/kg), and pentachlorophenol (25 mg/kg) affected hepatic and epididymal glutathione, but had little or no effect on testicular levels. The ability of isophorone to enhance the covalent binding of tritiated ethyl methanesulfonate (3H-EMS) to spermatocytes was assessed. Perturbation of reproductive tract glutathione by isophorone treatment significantly enhanced the extent of 3H-EMS-induced binding to sperm heads. The temporal pattern of ethylations in sperm heads was consistent with the stage of sperm development known to be susceptible to ethylations by EMS. Therefore, chemical-induced lowering of glutathione in the male reproductive tract may be a mechanism for potentiation of chemical-induced germ-cell mutations.

Introduction Complaints of poor water quality and skin rashes among workers at a US cardboard manufacturing facility were investigated to determine potential causes. Methods Employees were interviewed regarding work duties and health symptoms. Areas of dermatitis in affected employees were visually examined. Collected water samples were tested for potential chemical and microbial contaminants. Results A total of 27 employees were identified with complaints of recent skin rashes affecting primarily the upper and lower extremities. Dermatitis complaints were associated with water contact and work in areas with poor water quality. Water testing showed high levels of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Other tested substances were not at levels of concern. Conclusions Overgrowth of P. aeruginosa occurred in the water system shortly after the facility switched to a closed-loop water recycling system and was the most likely cause of the observed dermatitis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported outbreak of Pseudomonas folliculitis in an industrial setting. Am. J. Ind. Med. 49:895–899, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Waterway spills can consist of many compounds ranging from chemicals classified as Toxic Inhalation Hazards (TIH) to petroleum products. Any particular product may comprise hundreds of ind...

Floodwater associated with the Hurricane Katrina'S storm surge (August 29, 2005) displaced and damaged a 250,000 barrel above ground storage tank at Murphy Oil Corporation'S Meraux Refinery in Chalmette, Louisiana. Crude oil was released and was dispersed into the nearby and evacuated residential and commercial area by the retreating floodwaters. The assessment, which began September 18, involved biased sampling and “chemical fingerprinting” of interior and exterior wipe samples (from the visually-evident “bathtub rings” on structures) and interior and exterior sediments from over 6000 homes, businesses, churches, and schools. Crude oil from the failed tank was thoroughly characterized using chemical fingerprinting. Over 14,000 Tier 1 (GC/FID) chromatographic (EPA Method 8015B) analyses were conducted as a means of mapping the overall lateral extent, concentration, and continuity of the crude oil impact. These Tier 1 GC/FID analyses revealed the extent of crude oil contamination in the area, as well as the widespread occurrence of (1) non-crude oil, petroleum-derived contamination (e.g., engine lube oils, hydraulic oils, diesel fuel, household lubricants) and (2) allochthonous natural organic matter (e.g., peat and plant materials) from surrounding marshes that was carried and dispersed by the floodwater. Tier 2 fingerprinting involving quantitative petroleum biomarker data generated using GC/MS-SIM (modified EPA Method 8270) was conducted on a selected subset of samples. When the biomarker-based diagnostic ratios were evaluated statistically, the presence/absence of the crude oil, even at concentrations below residential standards, was established. This information was used to develop and govern a settlement and remedial program with the affected property owners, and to defend against claims brought by unaffected parties.

The fungal metabolism of the potent mutagenic and carcinogenic nitropolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (nitro-PAH) 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene (6-NO2-BaP) was investigated. Cunninghamella elegans was incubated with 6-NO2-BaP for periods ranging between 1 and 7 d, and the metabolites formed were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography and identified by their UV-visible absorption, mass, and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. The results of our study indicate that C. elegans metabolized 6-NO2-BaP to glucoside and sulfate conjugates of 1- and 3-hydroxy 6-NO2-BaP and suggests that glycosylation and sulfation reactions may represent detoxification pathways in the fungal metabolism of nitro-PAHs. Experiments using [G3H]-6-NO2-BaP indicated that C. elegans metabolized 62% of 6-NO2-BaP within 168 h. Our data also indicated that the nitro group at the C-6 position of benzo[a]pyrene blocked metabolism at the regions peri to the nitro substituent (C-7, C-8 positions) and enhanced metabolism at the C-1 and C-3 positions. The ability of the fungus C. elegans to metabolize 6-NO2-BaP to biologically inactive compounds may have practical applications in the detoxification of nitro-PAH-contaminated wastes.

Cladophora was collected from 0.25-m2 quadrats on alternate weeks at two sites located in Lake Erie near Hamburg, New York, and Walnut Creek near Erie, Pennsylvania, between June and November 1979. Cladophora biomass and internal nutrients (total Kjeldahl nitrogen and total phosphorus) were determined. Water samples were analyzed for total phosphorus, soluble reactive phosphorus, nitrate + nitrite nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, and ammonia nitrogen. Temperature and Secchi disk transparency were also recorded. The peak standing crop for Cladophora was 211 gDW/m2 (July) at the Hamburg site and 57 gDW/m2 (July) at Walnut Creek. The depth distribution of Cladophora at the sample sites was influenced by wave activity and drifting sand. As a result of sand scouring at the shallower depths, Cladophora biomass generally was greatest at the 3-m depth. Reductions in Cladophora internal nutrients corresponded to decreased nutrients in the water. Cladophora detached from its substrate during periods when low internal nutrient levels were observed. Internal total phosphorus concentrations were low and approached the minimum cell quota (0.05–0.06% –P) most of the time. Soluble reactive phosphorus values were also low (1–4 μgP/L). Levels of soluble reactive phosphorus and internal total phosphorus were low and almost always limiting, and may be responsible for the low biomass values observed. In addition, internal total phosphorus levels showed a significant positive correlation with Cladophora biomass. Internal total nitrogen values were generally less than 1%-N at Walnut Creek and ammonia nitrogen measurements were near detection limits. Cladophora was nitrogen-limited at the Walnut Creek site during part of the study period. Nitrate + nitrite nitrogen showed a significant positive correlation with Cladophora biomass at that site.

It has recently been demonstrated that morphine produces a loss of hepatocellular glutathione in mice by virtue of its action within the central nervous system. The ability of opioid receptor antagonists to abolish morphine's effect on hepatic glutathione suggests that this action is opioid-receptor mediated. The involvement of opioid receptors in this phenomenon is confirmed in the present study in mice by the ability of naltrexone, 100 micrograms administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.), to completely block the decrease in hepatic glutathione induced by an i.c.v. injection of 100 micrograms of morphine. Intracerebroventricular administration of the selective mu (mu) opioid receptor agonist, (D-Ala2,N-MePhe4,Gly-ol5)enkephalin (DAGO; 25-50 micrograms), or the selective delta (delta) opioid agonist, [D-Pen2,D-Pen5]enkephalin (DPDPE; 3-50 micrograms), like morphine, produced significant decreases in hepatic glutathione 3 h after administration. The selective kappa (kappa) opioid receptor agonists, ethylketocyclazocine (1-30 micrograms) and trans-(+/-)3,4-dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cyclohexyl] benzeneacetamide-methane sulfonate (U50 488; 10-300 micrograms), as well as the selective sigma (sigma) opioid agonists, phencyclidine (PCP; 50-300 micrograms) and N-allylnormetazocine (SKF 10,047; 1-30 micrograms), had no effect on the concentrations of glutathione in the liver. It appears from these data that stimulation of mu- or delta-, but not kappa- or sigma-opioid receptors within the central nervous system results in a loss of hepatocellular glutathione.