The Intercontinental Terminals Chemical Fire Study: A Rapid Response to an Industrial Disaster to Address Resident Concerns in Deer Park, Texas

Details

• Personal Author:
  An Han H ; Delclos G ; Han I ; McCurdy S ; Rammah A ; Symanski, Elaine ; Whitworth K
• Description:
  On Sunday, 17 March 2019, a fire erupted at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC, Deer Park, La Porte, Texas, USA), resulting in a large fire that blazed for several days. In response, we rapidly launched disaster response activities to monitor air pollutants (total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), black carbon (BC), and ultra-fine particles (UFPs) during the fire in two affected communities. To assess immediate health effects and residential air quality, we also rapidly launched a pilot study, the Deer Park Chemical Fire (DeeP Fire) Study, in which we administered health surveys and installed samplers to monitor air quality outdoors of resident homes for up to six weeks. In both communities, mean ambient concentrations of PM2.5, BC and TVOCs were higher during the first week of the fire than a week after it was extinguished. Thirteen residents participated in the DeeP Fire Study. Most residents reported experiencing respiratory symptoms and some reported being bothered by at least one post-traumatic stress disorder symptom during the fire and two weeks afterwards. In the months following the fire, the 7-day mean ambient concentration of benzene from 12 homes was 0.13+/- 0.10 parts per billion (ppb) and the 6-week mean ambient concentrations of PM2.5 and TVOCs were 13 +/- 6 microg/m3 and 108 +/- 98 ppb, respectively. All residents requested and received individualized air monitoring reports. Surveillance systems that enable real-time monitoring of the environmental health impact during a major industrial incident are needed to provide timely information to adequately respond to a disaster in the future. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution Benzene Community Health Services Emergencies Environmental Exposure Environmental Monitoring Environmental Pollution Fires Hazardous Substances Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Occupational Health Particulate Matter Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Surveys And Questionnaires Volatile Organic Compounds

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• Keywords:
  Air Monitoring Air Pollutants Air Pollution Air Quality Monitoring Author Keywords: Disaster Response BC Black Carbon Carbon Black Chemical Hazards Community Based Community Health Disaster Recovery Disaster Response Emergency Response Environmental Monitoring Environmental Pollution Exposure Assessment Fire Fighting Health Effects Health Surveys Humans ITC Fire Medical Monitoring Outdoors Particulate Matter Particulates PM Post-traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD Respiratory System Disorders Samplers Sampling Surveillance Ultrafine Particles VOCs Volatile Organic Compounds Volatiles

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• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  17
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058613
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2020 Feb; 17(3):986
• Contact Point Address:
  Elaine Symanski, Center for Precision Environmental Health, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030, USA
• Email:
  Elaine.symanski@bcm.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Benzene (CAS RN 71-43-2) ; Carbon black (CAS RN 1333-86-4)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:fde6540404b1d429540cf40021fdb942284350a525ea7fcf614213d4e6ab1c6ccba22f0986fc55e1316411d92e227652dcb17f47829eb02e7cbbe22b921bc924
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221657/cdc_221657_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.31 MB ]