Monitoring Along Beaches and Shorelines During Remediation

• Gulf Response Home »
• Protect Cleanup Workers from Exposure to Toxic Oil Byproducts
• Monitoring Decontamination of Wildlife
• Monitoring Decontamination of People and Equipment
• Worker Safety on Oil Rigs
• Area Monitoring on Vessels
• Worker Safety on Supply Ships
• Area Monitoring of Shoreline

The mix of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in the oil changes as it disperses from the source of the spill to the shore. Along the way, benzene and some other volatiles are broken down by sun and seawater. By the time oil reaches the shore, it still contains some VOCs that should be monitored. According to the U.S. government agency Centers for Disease Control, VOCs at the shore can include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and naphthalene, in varying concentrations and combinations. Some workers in past oil spill clean-up efforts have reported severe headaches, dizziness, nausea and difficulty breathing, which can be associated with coming into contact with spilled oil and oil dispersants.

Recommended RAE Systems Gas Detectors

A handheld photoionization detector such as a MultiRAE Plus or MiniRAE 3000 or ppbRAE 3000 can provide broadband monitoring for VOCs, while an UltraRAE 3000 can be employed to test when benzene is suspected in large quantities in order to determine its concentration. AreaRAE Steel monitors can be deployed individually or in an AreaRAE Network for long-term or short-term monitoring on a stretch of beach or along an established perimeter. They monitor and send their data to a central collection point that consists of a Ruggedized Host Controller laptop computer that is pre-configured with RAE Systems’ monitoring software.