Long Island Sound Diesel Spill

[aspearin1]

I'm curious as to any opinions on the subject. When I saw on the news a few weeks ago about a couple thousand gallons of home heating fuel had spilled into the Long Island Sound, many experts had been hoping that most of this volatile LNAPL would just evaporate, and they continue to try and control its spread with surface barriers. My immediate thought was to burn it away. It's on the open water and away from shore, so no wildlife should be harmed. It would consume the fuel faster than it could spread. And it would burn out once all the fuel is consumed. Sure, it might eat up the air emmisions budget for the region, but is that not better than letting it linger? The longer it sits, the more it will spread. What are your opinions? -Aspearin

 

[HB2U]

Burning it would likely create a greater threat to human health and safety on the mainland. If the wind were to shift, you would spread all of the contaminants across the adjacent land mass as the soot and other toxic particulates were deposited on land. Then you would have contamination in the water and on land.

Remember, burning it isn't the same as incinerating it. The emmissions of an uncontrolled flame are worse than a controlled flame.