ASTM_F_2205_-_07_2013.pdf

Designation:F220507(Reapproved 2013)Standard Guide forEcological Considerations for the Use of ChemicalDispersants in Oil Spill Response:Tropical Environments1This standard is issued under the fixed designation F2205;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide covers recommendations for use of chemicaldispersants to assist in the control of oil spills and is writtenwith the goal of minimizing the environmental impacts of oilspills.Aesthetic and socioeconomic factors are not considered;although,these and other factors are often important in spillresponse.1.2 Each on-scene commander has available several meansof control or cleanup of spilled oil.In this guide,use ofchemical dispersants should not be considered as a last resortafter other methods have failed.Chemical dispersants shouldbe given equal consideration with other spill countermeasures.1.3 This guide presents general guidelines only.The oil isassumed to be dispersible and the dispersant to be effective,available,applied correctly,and in compliance with relevantgovernment regulations.Oil,as used in this guide,includescrude oils and fuel oils.Differences between individual disper-sants and to a certain degree,differences between different oilsare not considered.1.4 This guide is one of several related to dispersantconsiderations in different environments.The other standardsare listed in Section 2.1.5 This guide applies to marine and estuarine environmentsbut not to freshwater environments.1.6 In making dispersant use decisions,appropriate govern-ment authorities should be consulted as required by law.1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2F2532 Guide for Determining Net Environmental Benefit ofDispersant Use3.Significance and Use3.1 This guide is meant to aid local and regional spillresponse teams who may apply it during response planning andspill events.3.2 This guide presents data on the effects of surface oil,dissolved oil and dispersed oil on components of tropicalenvironments.These data can aid in decision-making related tothe use of dispersants to minimize environmental damage fromoil spills.4.General Considerations for Making Dispersant-UseDecisions4.1 The decision of whether to use or not to use dispersantsin a given spill situation involves trade-offs.Dispersing a slickat one site temporarily introduces more oil into the watercolumn at that site than would be there if a surface slick floatedover it.Therefore,adverse effects on water column organismsmay be increased at that site so that adverse effects can bedecreased at other sites.4.2 Dispersant use is primarily a spill control method,not acleanup method.Such use can give spill response personnelsome control over where the impacts of a spill will occurwhatever types of impacts they may be.Since some environ-ments are known to be more vulnerable to the longer-lastingimpacts of spilled oil,an acceptable trade-off may be to protectthose environments by dispersing an oil slick in a less sensitiveor less productive environment.In general,the net environ-mental benefit of dispersant use versus non-use should beevaluated(see Guide F2532).The net environmental benefit ofa particular countermeasure involves evaluating benefits anddisadvantages of the particular technology being evaluated,versus other cleanup methods or no action,on the habitat or1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F20 on HazardousSubstances and Oil Spill Response and is the direct responsibility of SubcommitteeF20.13 on Treatment.Current edition approved April 1,2013.Published April 2013.Originallyapproved in 2002.Last previous edition approved in 2007 as F2205 07.DOI:10.1520/F2205-07R13.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 ecosystems involved in the area.Environmental benefit analy-sis is best conducted before the spill.4.3 In this guide,environments that are most vulnerable tothe longer-term impacts of oil contamination are identified.Protection of these environments is recommended as a highpriority,by means of dispersants or other methods.5.The Tropical Environment5.1 Tropical environments encompass many different habi-tats.This guide will cover those habitats that