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 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined data on
accidents in seven states from 2010 to 2012 and found 1,369
unintentional petroleum releases responsible for 512 injuries and 36
deaths. Almost half of the incidents were related to utilities,
private homes or personal vehicles.
“The actual number of petroleum incidents, injuries and deaths is
most likely higher because it is not mandatory to report such
releases,” said study author Ayana Anderson, a public health analyst
at the CDC.
Anderson noted in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that
petroleum was responsible for about 16 percent of all toxic
releases, according to a CDC analysis of data from the National
Toxic Substances Incidents Program.
Most often, the petroleum accidents were due to equipment failure or
human error, which accounted for 52 percent and 40 percent of
releases, respectively.
The utilities industry accounted for almost one in four accidents,
and most of these were related to natural gas distribution. About 40
percent of releases by utilities involved lines damaged or cut
because of errors by contractors, construction workers or residents.
Incidents in private cars and homes were the second most common, and
these were the most likely to result in injury. Many of these were
due to propane tank explosions, natural gas leaks, or misusing gas
by, for example, using gasoline for charcoal grills.
When there were injuries, 54 percent of the time ordinary citizens
were hurt, while 31 percent of cases involved employees at companies
working with the gas and 12 percent involved firefighters.
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Burns were the most common injury, followed by trauma, dizziness,
respiratory irritation and headache.
“Education is needed to inform the public about the safe use of
petroleum products and how to recognize a gas leak and know what
steps to take to prevent explosions and fires,” Anderson said by
email.
Before any construction, workers and homeowners can call 811 to ask
local utilities to send crews to the site and mark the location of
underground lines at no charge, Anderson said.
“People don’t realize that gardening or remodeling can cause a leak,
and even the experts don’t always know where the pipelines are
located,” said Nathan Phillips, a professor in the department of
earth and environment at Boston University.
Gas leaks may not be visible, but additives lend a sulfuric smell
like rotten eggs, said Phillips, who wasn’t involved in the study.
“If you smell it, it’s already a potentially dangerous situation and
even ringing a doorbell or making a cell phone call or any small
spark in an environment that has gas you can smell can lead to
combustion,” he said. “You get everyone out of the house first, and
then you make the phone call after you’re outside your house.”
SOURCE: http://1.usa.gov/1Bt7OAj Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report, June 12, 2015.
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