When a large-scale incident like a storage tank fire occurs, response and recovery workers must jump into high gear. These individuals serve on the front lines, often working around the clock in challenging situations to help protect public health and safety. However, as Derek Kliethermes PhD, CIH, and Scott Skelton PhD, CIH, know, helping ensure these workers have adequate safeguards against chemical hazards like benzene is as crucial. This commitment to worker safety led them to a multi-year research project, culminating in their recent graduation from Oklahoma State University (OSU) with doctorates in fire science.
Protecting public health and safety from chemical exposures has long been a priority for Derek and Scott. After nearly two decades in the emergency response field, they asked themselves, “How can we grow in an area where we already have experience and expertise?” When deciding where to focus their doctoral research at OSU, they landed on a topic they have long been passionate about—large-scale releases, specifically storage tank fires.
As Derek and Scott noted, the chemical hazards of shallow-depth flammable liquid fires can be reduced by heat. Storage tanks present unique challenges due to their depth and temperature differences. Conventional wisdom assumes that high temperatures from surface fires will render the remaining liquids less volatile, lessening the hazard. Scott says this mindset may lead responders to remove their protective gear too soon.
From executing collaborative burns with LASTFIRE and refining partners to developing a novel burn chamber and subsequent testing at OSU’s Fire Research Center, Derek and Scott launched a multi-year research path to examine benzene’s lifespan in post-fire crude oil. After observing benzene’s unexpected persistence following the fire, they designed experiments to test two emerging hypotheses: steam cracking and diffusion.
They confirmed that benzene’s persistence was not due to its rate of diffusion, but rather a phenomenon associated with steam cracking, which occurs during fire-fighting foam and water extinguishment methods. Derek affirmed that low-energy steam infusion, simulating water trapped in burning crude oil, was the plausible explanation for the liberation of benzene from precursor compounds. Benzene persistence following prolonged extinguishment methods emphasizes the importance of understanding post-fire crude oil and the continued protection of workers from chemical exposure.
Derek and Scott said these findings should remind workers to keep their guards up. Responders should consider using the same recommended personal protective equipment following a crude oil storage tank fire as during extinguishment, product recovery, and remediation, at least until air monitoring and sampling data confirm that benzene exposure hazards have been eliminated.
With their diplomas officially in hand, they look forward to sharing their research, including at the upcoming AIHA Connect Conference on May 19, to help encourage additional control measures for responders handling post-fire crude oil. Congratulations, Derek and Scott, on completing your PhDs! We are proud of your hard work, and we cannot wait to see what you accomplish next.
