Abstract
On Sunday, 17 March 2019, a fire erupted at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC, Deer Park, La Porte, TX, 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 µg/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.
Highlights
On Sunday, 17 March 2019, at approximately 10 a.m., a storage tank containing naphtha caught fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) Deer Park facility, a storage facility for petroleumInt
Because of limited resources and limited bilingual field staff, we focused this study on Deer Park and defined a buffer zone of approximately 300 households in a residential area closest to the facility
We indicated that participants who completed the air sampling would receive an individualized air monitoring report at the end of the study
Summary
On Sunday, 17 March 2019, at approximately 10 a.m., a storage tank containing naphtha caught fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) Deer Park facility, a storage facility for petroleumInt. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 986 liquids and gases operating in Deer Park, Texas, since 1972 (see Figure 1). The fire spread to other tanks over the ensuing six days [1], during which a blackened plume including toxic gases (e.g., benzene) and particulate matter (PM) traveled from Deer Park, Texas (TX) to other surrounding communities. Of concern was the potential for increased exposures to outdoor air pollution, including particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) during the fire. These concerns were heightened when the fire re-ignited, leading to a containment wall breach that released chemicals into the Houston Ship
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