01/23/2001
- Hazards of Inipol EAP22 used during
cleanup of oil ...
Toward this
end, the French-manufactured liquid
fertilizer, Inipol EAP22, ...
According to the MSDS for Inipol
EAP22, skin contact and inhalation are the
...
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U.S. Department of Labor |
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Occupational Safety & Health
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Standard
Interpretations
01/23/2001
- Hazards of Inipol EAP22 used during
cleanup of oil spills.
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| OSHA requirements are set by
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they cannot create additional
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letter constitutes OSHA's
interpretation of the
requirements discussed. Note
that our enforcement guidance
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January 23, 2001
Mr. Richard D. Nagel
2302 Lake Griffin Rd.
Lady Lake, FL 32159
Dear Mr. Nagel:
Thank you for your November 12 letter to
the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA). Your letter was
forwarded to OSHA's [Office of Health
Enforcement (OHE)] for a response. You
requested information regarding a
substance called "Inipol," which was
used during the cleanup of the Exxon
Valdez oil spill.
Please allow us to provided a brief
overview of Inipol's use in this
incident. In 1989, to help with the
Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
proposed the use of an oil spill
response technology, "bioremediation,"
to increase the natural rate of oil
degradation. Crude oil is a good
candidate for bioremediation because
even without remediation, the oil
eventually degrades through natural
environmental processes.
Crude oil decomposes as the result of
microbial activity along with exposure
to sunlight and air; these processes
break the oil down into its basic
elements. In theory, the more microbes
(bacteria) that work on the breakdown
process, the faster the degradation
occurs. Bioremediation uses an
artificial stimulant to increase the
numbers of microbes that work at
breaking down the crude oil, thereby
helping to speed up the natural process.
The Exxon Valdez oil spill area already
had a good population of the correct
oil-eating bacteria; the bacterial
population simply needed to be increased
by adding nitrogen and phosphorus. These
elements are most easily provided by
spreading fertilizer. Toward this end,
the French-manufactured liquid
fertilizer, Inipol EAP22, was applied to
the oiled beaches.
You asked if there were any side effects
from contact with Inipol EAP22 and
requested a material safety data sheet (MSDS)
for the product. For your information,
we have enclosed the material safety
data sheet along with the EPA's
Technical Product Bulletin #B-10.
According to the MSDS for Inipol EAP22,
skin contact and inhalation are the
primary routes of occupational exposure;
it can be moderately toxic if absorbed
through the skin, slightly toxic if
inhaled, and can irritate the skin and
eyes. High vapor concentrations may
irritate the eyes and respiratory tract
and may result in central nervous system
(CNS) effects including headaches,
dizziness, nausea, and drowsiness. Also,
prolonged or repeated contact may remove
natural oils from the skin, dry the
skin, and cause irritation, redness, and
rash.
Inipol EAP22, a biological additive, is
manufactured by:
Société CECA S.A
12 place de l'Iris - Cedex 54
92062 Paris-la-Défense
France
Phone: 011.33.1.47.96.92.91
A primary American distributor of Inipol
EAP22 is:
Elf Atochem North America, Inc.
2000 Market Street, Suite 1900
Philadelphia, PA
Phone: (215) 419-5517
Thank you for your interest in
occupational safety and health. We hope
you find this information helpful. If
you have any further questions, please
feel free to contact the Tampa Area
Office at (813) 636-1177, the Atlanta
Regional Office at (404) 562-2300, or
the [Office of Health Enforcement] at
202-693-2190.
Sincerely,
Richard E. Fairfax, Director
[Directorate of Enforcement Programs]
[Corrected 6/2/2005]
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