health and safety plan solid waste management unit assessment

JP-4 (JET NEL 4) 64-20
The fate of petroleum hydrocarbons from various actual environmental
incidents has been summarized by Atlas (2255). Microbial
degradation of JP-4 residues in cold anokic marine sediments was
essentially zero following a release in Searsport, ME (2266); however,
microbial degradation did apparently occur during transport from the
spill location to the marine sediment. Microbial degradation of
petroleum hydrocarbons in ground water, river water and soils has also
been reported (2255).
In summary, biodegradation of the petroleum hydrocarbons comprising
JP-4 fuel is expected to be rapid under conditions favorable
for microbial activity and when fuel components are freely available to
the microorganisms. Degradation may be limited and/or slow in environments
with few degrading organisms, low pH, low temperatures, and high
salinity (e.g., arctic environments). It should be mentioned that
Walker s &. (2257) state that even under optimum conditions, total
and complete biodegradation is not expected to occur except. possibly
over an extremely long time period.
64.2.3 Primary Routes of Exposure from Soil/Ground-water Systems
The above discussion of fate pathways suggests that the major
components of JP-4 fuel are highly volatile but vary in their potential
for bioaccumulation and tendency to sorb to soil. They range from
moderately to strongly sorbed to soil, and their bioaccumulation
potential ranges from low to high. The variability in the properties
of the components suggest they may have somewhat different potential
exposure pathways.
Spills of JP-4 would result in the evaporative loss of the more
highly volatile components leaving those of lesser volatility in the
soil. The fraction remaining in the soil is expected to be relatively
mobile and will be carried by- gravity to the saturated zone of the
soil. There, the more soluble components (aromatic and lower molecular
weight aliphatic compounds) will dissolve into the ground water or form
emulsions with ground water, while the insoluble fraction will float as
a separate phase on top of the water table. The movement of dissolved
hydrocarbons in ground water is much greater than the separate liquid
phase, reaching distances of hundred to thousands of meters compared to
tens of meters for the movement of the separate phase. In the presence
of cracks and fissures, however, the flow of the separate hydrocarbon
phase is greatly enhanced.
The movement of JP-4 fuel in ground water may contaminate drinking
water supplies, resulting in ingestion exposures. Ground-water discharges
to surface water or the movement of contaminated soil particles
to surface water drinking water supplies may also result in ingestion
exposures and in dermal exposures from the recreational use of these
waters. The potential also exists for uptake by fish and domestic
animals, which may also result in human exposures due to the .
bioconcentration of various fuel components.
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