Risk assessment of accidental spills of toxic and flammable liquids on land

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is the assessment of the environmental impact due to accidental spills of toxic and flammable liquids on land. Different case studies of possible accidents in the State of Qatar were considered. An EPA-based dispersion model was utilized to estimate the size and location of the dangerous clouds generated by such spills at different elapsed times. Three case studies of possible accidents in the State of Qatar involving gasoline were considered. Due to the transient nature of the dispersion processes in the case studies, the results showed clearly the phenomenon of growth and decay of the generated dangerous clouds. An interface between the dynamic results of the dispersion software and the static data of the Qatar geographical information system (GIS) allowed the immediate identification of the major landmarks affected by the considered accidents. These data would be of great help in developing an emergency evacuation plan for such accidents. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.