4 Observations and Conclusions
The analysis of spill data and resulting trends helps to identify areas that need improvement through the development of appropriate strategies, processes and programs. The main purpose is to minimize the extent and impact of environmental releases.
This report examined eight key areas for the years 1984-1995 with respect to environmental incidents:
- Spills in Canada and their distribution
- Spills by industry sector
- Causes, reasons and sources of spills in seven major sectors
- Federal spills
- Spills and environment affected
- Spills of MIACC list 1 substances
- Spills by material categories
- Major spills in Canada
1. Spills Reported in Canada
The awareness and reporting of spills has increased through the mid-1980s and early 1990s as spill-reporting requirements were implemented through legislation in various provinces and territories all across Canada. Public awareness of the need for spill reporting has also increased. As a result, the number of spills reported annually increased steadily between 1984 and 1988 and has remained relatively constant since that time.
The analysis of months and seasons in which the greatest number of incidents occur yielded some interesting results. Environmental incidents are reported in the greatest numbers during the summer months, with almost equal numbers over June, July and August. The lowest number of spills are reported in December, January and February. This seasonal variation may be attributed to increased traffic volumes during the summer months.
Examination of spills by sector revealed that business (including industry) reports the greatest number of incidents, at 75% of all reported spills. This finding is in accordance with the fact that most of the products are manufactured, mined, handled and transported in Canada by the business sector.
The majority of spills reported are small-quantity spills of less than one tonne. The impact of a spill on the environment depends on the toxicity and concentration of the substance, on the volume spilled, and on the receiving environment. Therefore the size of the spill does not necessarily determine the environmental impact.
2. Spills by Sector
Data for seven major sectors were examined. The seven sectors are the chemical, government, metallurgy, mining, petroleum, pulp and paper, and service industry sectors. Spills from these seven sectors represent 63% of the total spills reported and 93% of the total quantity reported spilled. Overall there is better reporting (indicated by median spill volume) in the latter part of the 12 years of data examined in this report compared with the earlier years. Spill volumes in the seven sectors generally decrease or remain the same during the 12 year period studied. Over the last few years of data examined, the number of spills reported generally decreases.
3. Cause, Reason and Sources of Spills
The cause of a spill is ‘what went wrong’ while the reason for a spill is ‘why it went wrong’. When the seven sectors are examined together, almost one quarter (22%) of the causes of a spill can be attributed to pipe leaks. Interestingly, equipment failure (25%) and human error (16%) are always present among the top three reasons for spills in each of the sectors.
The sources for the top five reasons for spills are examined for the various sectors. Spills in the production field are consistently one of the top sources for four of the top five reasons (equipment failure, corrosion, material failure and human error). Seventy-one percent of spills where the reason is identified as storm or flood occurred from a sewage treatment plant or sewer. This is largely the result of run-off or overflow during periods of significant precipitation.
The ‘unknown’ category accounts for 13% of all causes and 17% of the reasons reported for spills. These significant numbers indicate a need for better follow-up with the initial pollution incident report.
4. Federal Spills
The number of spills in the federal sector account for 2% of the total number of reported spills. The proportion of number of reported spills in the federal sector over the 12 year period is consistent with the number of reported spills nationally for the same period. It is perceived that increases in the numbers of spills reported over the data period are largely a result of legislated reporting requirements and increased awareness of the need to report spills.
Spills at federal facilities are most often a result of pipe, tank and container leaks.
5. Spills and Environment Affected
The extent of the impact of any given spill depends on many factors: the nature and concentration of the product, the environment affected, weather conditions and the quantity spilled. Most spills occur in small quantities, thus limiting the area of environmental impact. The environmental medium impacted for almost half of the reported spills is land. Environmental impacts to waterways occur in roughly one fifth of the incidents. While land-based spills can cause significant environmental impact and may migrate to groundwater, spills to waterways are generally more serious as they can impact entire habitats and disrupt food chains. The impact of a single marine spill can affect algae and plankton, fish, birds and marine life. In almost all land-based spills, there is damage to vegetation and property.
Some spills, due to the properties of product spilled, may persist in the environment for an extended period of time.
6. Spills of MIACC List 1 Substances
The Major Industrial Accidents Council of Canada (MIACC) is a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization dedicated to reducing the frequency and severity of major industrial accidents involving hazardous substances. Workshops aimed at accident prevention and life-cycle management were held for four MIACC List 1 substances. Each substance was selected for specific reasons such as the quantity used in commerce or the ability to focus on a particular life-cycle stage of the substance.
The top five MIACC List 1 substances spilled, both in the number of spills and quantity spilled, are gasoline, chlorine, hydrochloric acid, propane and anhydrous ammonia. Of the List 1 substances, gasoline is spilled most frequently and in the greatest quantity. From 1992 to 1995, the number of gasoline spills decreases substantially. Anhydrous ammonia and hydrochloric acid are second and third among most-spilled List 1 substances. The quantities spilled of the top five List 1 substances show peaks in the late 1980s and decline thereafter. Chlorine spills decrease in 1994 and 1995, while the number of reported propane spills gradually increases from 1988 to 1995.
7. Spills by Material Categories
An analysis of materials spilled — grouping substances into the broad material categories of oils, non-oils and wastes/effluents — was performed. Spills involving oils occur 58% of the time. Wastes and effluents account for 18% of the total number of spills, but 89% of the total quantity reported; in other words, fewer spills but larger quantities. Most of these are sewage releases and some are spills of industrial effluents. Non-oils account for 24% of the total reported number of spills.
The number of reported spills in the three material categories of oils, non-oils and wastes and effluents increases in 1988 and remains elevated through to 1995.
A more detailed examination of material categories indicates that fuel oil and gasoline account for 30% of the spill events in Canada.
8. Major Spills in Canada
Major spills from each region were examined. The range in spill quantities and in the types of substances spilled varies from region to region. Sewage is spilled in very large quantities across the country. The sectors reporting large spills include the chemical, government, metallurgy, mining, petroleum, pulp and paper, service industry and transportation sectors.
Environment Canada’s Role in Environmental Emergencies
Environment Canada’s Environmental Emergencies Program aims to prevent and reduce the frequency and severity of impacts on the environment. Four case histories are described, which profile the role Environment Canada plays in an emergency and how agencies work together to achieve results. The incidents examined are:
- a fire at an agricultural product warehouse in Canning, Nova Scotia, 1986;
- a tire fire in Hagersville, Ontario, 1990;
- a train derailment in Hervey Junction, Quebec, 1995; and
- an oil spill from the tanker Nestucca in Gray’s Harbour, Washington, 1988.
Several new changes and measures were introduced as a result of the post mortem of each of these incidents. These were in the areas of legislation and inter-agency roles and coordination during emergency incidents and in prevention, preparedness and response activities.
Observations
Several positive results were confirmed by this study. Better spill reporting over the study period demonstrates improved co-operation between industry and government. Efforts should continue to reduce the number of smaller spills and also to reduce the total volume spilled. Equipment failure, human error and corrosion are the key reasons for incidents where prevention efforts should be enhanced. Better preparedness is a proactive approach that ultimately saves money, time, energy, and the environment.
There are issues identified in this report which need to be addressed through government-industry discussions for various sectors. Environment Canada will initiate the dialogue with partners and clients to set priorities for future action.
The report has confirmed that the data on the reported consequences of spills are very limited. Many bird and fish kills occur every year as a result of marine oil spills. However, this information is rarely captured since it is often unknown during the initial stages of an incident. Better follow-up reporting in the area of environmental impact is warranted. Ongoing harmonization initiatives and better follow-up reporting strategies will be promoted in order to ensure better data capture for future reports.
