251985 Petrochemical gumbo: One year (2009) releases in the Louisiana environment

Wednesday, November 2, 2011: 8:50 AM

Carrie Beth Lasley, CFM , Center for Hazards Assessment, Response, and Technology, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
Large petroleum spills such as the Deepwater Horizon blowout on April 20, 2010, gain the headlines, but petrochemical spills are not unusual in the Louisiana environment. This research analyzes the toxic chemical releases as reported the National Response Center in Louisiana in 2009. The National Response Center is the federal point of contact for toxic releases into the environment, and investigations and cleanup responses are launched from these reports. In 2009, there were 3,638 incidents reported to the NRC in Louisiana. Of these, platform incidents make up the majority – 56 percent. Equipment failure and hurricanes from previous years are top causes for these releases, and most are occurring in shallow Gulf of Mexico waters. Additional information about the communities affected by releases and the substances and negative health effects from these spills will be discussed, as well as mitigation recommendations including coastal restoration to protect petrochemical infrastructure and stricter regulations on maintenance and repairs on platforms.

Learning Areas:
Environmental health sciences

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe potential solutions to reduce platform toxic release incidents. 2. Identify sources of toxic releases in Louisiana.

Keywords: Toxic Dumps, Environmental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a Research Assistant at CHART. My current research focus has been on the impacts of hurricanes and severe weather on the Louisiana coast and building capacity for local decision makers.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.