Air Emissions from Petroleum Hydrocarbon Fires During Controlled Burning

Petroleum hydrocarbon fires may occur during emergencies and during controlled burning such as during fire training. These fires result in the emission of large amounts of visible smoke, which raises concern among workers and the public about the health effects of petroleum hydrocarbon fire emissions. Outdoor experiments were conducted to characterize the chemical composition and ground level concentrations of air emissions from freely burning crude and fuel oil. Combustion products were collected for analysis in the resulting smoke plume using standard sampling equipment contained in a case designed to be suspended in the smoke plume, and also at five ground stations down- and crosswind from the burn site. The combustion plume and ground station samples were analyzed for volatile organic compounds, aldehydes and ketones, polynuclear aromatic compounds, metals, total suspended particulate matter, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. Standard sampling and analytical procedures were used. In...