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Vent pipe emissions from storage tanks at gas stations: Implications for setback distances
Markus Hilpert1, Ana Maria Rule2, Bernat Adria-Mora1
1Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, United States of America.
The Science of the Total Environment
|October 7, 2018
Summary
Gas station vent pipes release significant fuel vapors, with benzene exposure limits sometimes exceeded up to 160 meters away. Current setback distances may be insufficient due to high emission factors.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Air Quality Research
- Public Health
Background:
- Fuel vapors are released from gas station storage tanks via vent pipes.
- Limited data exists on the timing, magnitude, and health impacts of these releases.
Purpose of the Study:
- Quantify vent pipe releases from gas stations.
- Assess benzene exposure levels and exceedances of short-term exposure limits.
Main Methods:
- Measured volumetric flow rates and storage tank headspace pressure at two US gas stations.
- Utilized air dispersion modeling with measured emissions and meteorological data.
- Calculated hourly atmospheric benzene concentrations.
Main Results:
- Average vent emission factors were 0.17 and 0.21 kg gasoline/1000 L dispensed.
- Benzene's 1-hour Reference Exposure Level (REL) was exceeded within 50m at one station and up to 160m at another.
- Intermediate-duration benzene exposure levels exceeded minimum risk levels within 7-8m of vent pipes.
Conclusions:
- Vent emission factors were over 10 times higher than estimates used for current setback distances.
- Temporal variability and pollution controls in vent emissions necessitate revisiting gas station setback distances.
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