United States Environmental Protection Agency Hazardous Waste Engineering Research Laboratory Cincinnati OH 45268 Research and Development EPA/600/S2-86/016 July 1986 4>EPA Project Summary Documentation and Analysis for Prevention and Control of Hazardous Material Spills D. B. Heard, L M. Krasner, and B. G. Vincent The overall objective of this study was to develop a computerized system for documenting and analyzing hazardous material spill data. The present program improves the data collection and proc- essing so that information can be gen- erated in a form that can be used effectively to prevent and control haz- ardous material spills. The program established an open- ended, dual data base system that can produce reports on request and gener- ate statistics on any or all spill incidents that are encoded in computer storage. Two logically linked data sets were established. The first set consisted of incident-related data, and the second was made up of material-related data. The previously developed computer codes were modified to accommodate the large number of incidents acquired and the dual data base system. New coding techniques also minimized the potential of multiple entries and greatly increased the amount of information that can be stored. These changes have made the data system more nearly universal and provided a more acces- sible means of retrieving information than was possible using previous re- trieval methods. This Project Summary was developed by EPA's Hazardous Waste Engineering Research Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH, to announce key findings of the research project that is fully documented in a separate report of the same title (see Project Report ordering information at back). Introduction Prevention and control of a problem as complex as that of hazardous material spills and their ensuing effects on the population and environment can only be approached by using a comprehensive, reliable system for collecting and ana- lyzing spill data. This study developed a completely computerized system for docu- menting and analyzing hazardous mater- ial spill data. Earlier work was done to obtain a prioritized list of hazardous material spill causes reflecting the quanti- ty andthe hazard potential of the material spilled, number of casualties sustained, and identity of the operational and geo- graphic areas where the spill occurred (Hazardous Material Spills: A Documen- tation and Analysis of Historical Data, EPA-600/2-78-066, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1978). The current project codes provide more detailed data and develop a more comprehensive com- puter program for analysis purposes. An open-ended, dual data base system was developed that could generate both sta- tistical reports and histograms. The sys- tem consisted of a Spill Incident Data Base, containing relevant statistics on individual hazardous material spill inci- dents; a Material File Data Base which catalogs and retains vital physical and toxicological data for a variety of haz- ardous substances; and a data manipula- tion and analysis program. Procedures The work was divided into three phases: data documentation, spill hazard deter- mination, and data analysis. Approximately 22,500 spill reports were examined during the data documen- tation phase. Of those, 5,616 incidents were selected for inclusion in the Spill Incident Data Base. These incidents oc- ------- curred between 1975 and 1979 and were drawn from 17 different sources. The bulk of the data came from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), which provided 78% of the total number of incident reports. Data for the Material File came from the Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances (RTECS) published by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Physical and toxi- cological data for more than 600 different substances were cataloged in the Mater- ial File. A spill documentation reportform and a Material File update form were developed by Factory Mutual Research Corporation (FMRC) for documenting and coding information for entry into the two data bases. The primary advantage of the dual data base system is that it eliminates the need for including material-related statistics in spill incident reports. The only require- ment is that the materials be uniquely identified in both data bases. This goal was accomplished through the use of the RTECS reference number system used by NIOSH. The system is alsof lexible enough to allow for the input of new or additional incident and material data as they become available. To provide some quantitative measure of the hazard associated with the release of different materials in varying amounts, a spill hazard potential rating was devel- oped. This hazard potential was computed using the mass of material released and its relative toxicity (called a relative hazard) rating. Though not perfect, the hazard potential ratings provided for a relative measure of toxicological and ecological dangers presented by the release of various materials. Once the data sets were finalized, efforts were directed toward developing an analysis program capable of manip- ulating the data and producing statistics. The resulting analysis program consisted of more than 2,000 statements and included several assembly language sub- routines. It was capable of partitioning the data set by any one or a combination of up to three data fields (called X-, Y-, and Z-parameters). For example, partitions could be obtained for all incidents occur- ring on a certain date in a given state that involved a specified material. The pro- gram could also be used to generate histograms, although these plots accom modate just two parameters. Included with the full report are date partitions considered of general interes to EPA and to those involved in the stud^ of hazardous material releases. They arf distributions by primary cause of incident secondary cause of incident, operations area (in which incidents occurred) an< frequency distribution of materials in volved. The full report was submitted in ful fillment of Contract No. 68-03-0317 b' Factory Mutual Research Corporatioi under the sponsorship of the U.S. Environ mental Protection Agency. D. B. Heard. L M. Krasner, and B. G. Vincent are with Factory Mutual Research Corporation, Norwood, MA 02062. John E. Brugger is the EPA Project Officer (see below). The complete report, entitled "Documentation and Analysis for Prevention and Control of Hazardous Material Spills," (Order No. PB 86-156 775/AS; Cost: $40.95, subject to change) will be available only from: National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 Telephone: 703-487-4650 The EPA Project Officer can be contacted at: Releases Control Branch Hazardous Waste Engineering Research Laboratory—Cincinnati U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Edison, NJ 08837 United States Environmental Protection Agency Center for Environmental Research Information Cincinnati OH 45268 BULK RATE POSTAGE & FEES EPA PERMIT No G- Official Business Penalty for Private Use $300 EPA/600/S2-86/016 ------- |