August 2011
Analysis and Modeling of Airborne BTEX Concentrations from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Our Challenge
- We characterized airborne benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) concentrations experienced by offshore cleanup workers during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Our Approach
- ChemRisk analyzed nearly 20,000 BTEX breathing zone measurements which were collected by BP and made publicly available.
- Compared measurements to occupational exposure limits (OELs).
- Compared BTEX measurements before vs. after the well was capped.
- The analysis was supplemented by two modeling approaches:
- A probabilistic model was used to estimate airborne BTEX concentrations during the early days of the spill before monitoring began.
Our Findings
- Oil Spill cleanup workers were not exposed to unsafe levels of BTEX due to the oil spill; instead there was no measurable exposure.
- BTEX concentrations did not decrease appreciably after the well was capped, suggesting that BTEX from the surfaced oil was a minor contributor compared to other BTEX sources such as motors on the boats.
- Results were presented in a published paper [Avens, Heather., et al. 2011. Analysis and Modeling of Airborne BTEX Concentrations from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Environmental Science & Technology. ]