GUIDANCE FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH MANAGEMENT OF CRUDE OIL INCIDENTS A Guide Intended for Public Health and Emergency Management Practitioners Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit Health Canada August 2018 Health Canada is responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health. It ensures that high-quality health services are accessible, and works to reduce health risks. We are a federal institution that is part of the Health portfolio. Également disponible en français sous le titre : Guide pour la gestion de la santé publique et environnementale en cas d’incident mettant en cause du pétrole brut To obtain additional information, please contact: Health Canada Address Locator 0900C2 Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9 Tel.: 613-957-2991 Toll free: 1-866-225-0709 Fax: 613-941-5366 TTY: 1-800-465-7735 E-mail: [email protected] To report any factual errors in this document, or to provide any other suggestions for improvement, please e-mail comments to: [email protected] This publication can be made available in alternative formats upon request. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Health, 2017 Publication date: August 2018 This publication may be reproduced for personal or internal use only without permission provided the source is fully acknowledged. PDF Cat.: H129-82/2018E-PDF ISBN: 978-0-660-24441-9 Pub.: 170387 Guidance for the Environmental Public Health ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Management of Crude Oil Incidents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Health Canada is very grateful to the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health (NCCEH) and all individuals who have contributed to the creation of this guidance document, in particular to its authors who have committed their passion, expertise and wisdom to this venture. Special thanks to: Joan Armour, consultant Angela Eykelbosh, NCCEH Marc Lafontaine, Health Canada Margaret Yole, Health Canada All scientific reviewers from the Federal Health Portfolio, Provinces and Territories who have contributed to writing this document. Consult publication services for more information about the collaboration with the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health and other stakeholders. Version 1.0 – August 2018 iii Table of Contents Guidance for the Environmental Public Health Management of Crude Oil Incidents Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................ iii ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ..............................................................................................ix INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 Section 1. IDENTIFICATION AND HAZARD SUMMARY ............................................................. 2 1.1 What is crude oil and what are its commonly used identifiers? ................................................... 2 1.1.1 Identity ......................................................................................................................................... 2 1.1.2 Composition ............................................................................................................................... 2 1.1.3 Classification ............................................................................................................................... 3 1.2 What are the physical properties of crude oil? ............................................................................... 5 1.3 What is the flammability and reactivity of crude oil? ..................................................................... 5 1.4 How are crude oil products and their hazards identified on shipping and storage containers? ....................................................................................................................................... 5 1.4.1 2016 Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) .................................................................... 5 1.4.2 UN Transport of Dangerous Goods Model Regulations (TDG) .......................................... 7 1.4.3 Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) ...... 8 1.4.4 National Fire Protection Association ...................................................................................... 9 1.5 What is the life cycle of crude oil? ................................................................................................... 11 1.5.1 Sources ...................................................................................................................................... 11 1.5.2 Production and Extraction ..................................................................................................... 11 1.5.3 Refining ...................................................................................................................................... 11 1.6 Where is crude oil produced? ........................................................................................................... 11 1.7 What is crude oil used for? ................................................................................................................. 13 1.8 How is crude oil transported? ............................................................................................................ 13 1.8.1 Pipeline ...................................................................................................................................... 13 1.8.2 Rail .............................................................................................................................................. 14 1.8.3 Ship ............................................................................................................................................. 15 1.9 What happens when crude oil is released into the environment? ............................................ 16 Section 2. EXPOSURE AND HEALTH EFFECTS CONSIDERATIONS ......................................... 18 2.1 Which constituents of crude oil may present a risk to human health? ..................................... 18 2.2 What are the pathways of exposure? ............................................................................................. 18 iv Version 1.0 – August 2018 Guidance for the Environmental Public Health Table of Contents Management of Crude Oil Incidents 2.3 What are the potential health effects resulting from major crude oil incidents? ................... 18 2.3.1 Physical trauma ....................................................................................................................... 19 2.3.2 Toxicological effects ............................................................................................................... 19 2.3.3 Mental health ........................................................................................................................... 22 2.3.4 Community Impacts ............................................................................................................... 22 2.4 Which populations are of particular concern in the aftermath of a crude oil spill? .............. 23 2.5 What are the health protection standards and guidelines for assessing the health risks from crude oil exposure? ....................................................................................................... 24 2.5.1 Air quality .................................................................................................................................. 24 2.5.2 Drinking water quality ............................................................................................................. 31 Section 3. PUBLIC HEALTH RISK MANAGEMENT .................................................................... 32 3.1 What activities can public health practitioners undertake to better prepare their community for the risk of a crude oil release? .............................................................................. 32 3.2 What actions should to be taken if a sudden major crude oil release occurs? ..................... 34 3.2.1 Evacuation and sheltering-in-place .................................................................................... 40 3.2.2 Medical countermeasures .................................................................................................... 40 3.2.3 Risks and crisis communication ............................................................................................. 43 3.3 What actions could support recovery? ........................................................................................... 43 3.3.1 Population health follow-up research considerations ..................................................... 44 Section 4. CASE STUDIES ........................................................................................................... 47 Rail Accidents ............................................................................................................................................... 47 Pipeline Accidents ....................................................................................................................................... 47 Marine Spills ................................................................................................................................................... 47 4.1 CASE STUDY (rail incident): Lac-Mégantic derailment, 6 July 2013...........................................