Emergency planning/ preparedness for marine transport of noxious chemicals: a rational approach (Poster)

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Over 2000 hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) are transported by sea with a bulk trade of 165 million tonnes worldwide; this is expected to grow to 215 million tonnes by 2015. Incidents involving spillage, leakage and fires have occurred regularly, with over 100 reported in European waters alone. Such incidents may have a significant impact upon public health. With larger container ships and greater transportation of HNS, an increase in number and scale of incidents may be expected. Based upon the Joint Group of Experts Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Pollution (GESAMP) composite list of 2500 HNS, a semi-quantitative risk prioritisation matrix has been developed. The approach considers the acute human toxicity (LC50) of selected HNS and their physico-chemical properties. Acute inhalational toxicity is arbitrarily divided into 5 groups (0-4) according to established LC50 values. HNS were also arbitrarily scored according to their physico-chemical properties, with the most volatile compounds scoring the highest, as inhalation was considered to be the most significant route of exposure.  The product of the score of toxicity and physic-chemical behaviour was referred to as the “severity”. The matrix is further defined by the likelihood of an incident occurring, with annual transport tonnage serving as a proxy. The risk was subsequently defined as the product of severity and risk with the subsequent prioritisation of said risks.

This approach may be utilised by policy makers, port authorities, emergency planners, environmental and public health professionals alike for enhancing emergency planning and preparedness through the development of tailored plans, exercises, scenarios and training. This approach has been piloted in Europe for the development of case studies, scenarios and risk and crisis communication strategies, distributed through an e-learning medium. Collectively, this risk prioritisation tool serves to mitigate the impact of maritime incidents, thereby protecting public health.