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2.0 EMISSIGNS FROM OPEN TIRE FIRES <br /> Airborne missions from open tire fires have long been suspected of representing a <br /> serious impact to health and the environment. However, due to the lack of sufficient data, <br /> it was uncertain as to exactly what was being emitted, how much was being emitted, and <br /> how dangerous these emissions were, especially to sensitive individuals (e.g., children and <br /> the elderly). In recent years, a number of laboratory and field test programs have been <br /> conducted to identify and quantify these emissions. This section summarizes the results of <br /> a number of key studies in this area and briefly discusses certain aspects of preventing and <br /> managing tire fires. <br /> 2.1 LABORATORY EMISSIONS TESTING <br /> A controlled simulation test program designed to identify and quantify organic and <br /> inorganic emission products during the simulated open combustion of scrap tires was <br /> conducted by EPA (Ryan, 1989) and further documented in an Air and Waste Management <br /> Association Paper [(AWMA) Lemieux and Ryan, 1993]. This important study is <br /> summarized in detail below. <br /> Small quantities of 4.5 to 9 kilograms (kg [10 to 20 pounds (lb)IJ of scrap tire <br /> material were burned under two controlled conditions in a 2.4 x 2.4 x 2.4 m [8 x 8 x 8 foot <br /> (ft)] ventilated, instrumented burn hut. Two sizes of tire material were burned: "chunk," <br /> about 1/6 to 1/4 of an entire tire and "shred", where the tire pieces were 5 x 5 centimeters <br /> (cm [2 x 2 inches (in)]l. EPA's Hazardous Air Pollutants Mobile Laboratory was used to <br /> monitor fixed combustion gases. Organics were collected using the volatile organic <br /> sampling train and a semi-volatile collection system using XAD-2 resin and particulate <br /> filters. Particulate was also collected to assess airborne metals and to measure the amount <br /> of particulate less than 10 microns (pm) in aerodynamic diameter (PM 1�. The organic <br /> constituents were analyzed using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS), gas <br /> chromatography/flame ionization detection, and high pressure liquid chromatography <br /> (HPLC). <br /> The results of the test program are presented in Tables 1 through 4. Table 1 <br /> presents an averaging of the three sets of volatile organic sampling train (VOST) samples <br /> taken at each run condition, each taken at different periods during the burn. Benzene is <br /> emitted in large quantities under both conditions. The majority of the volatile organic <br /> emissions are aliphatic-, olefinic-, or acetylenic-substituted aromatics. Cyclic alkanes, <br /> alkenes, and dienes were also present. Butadiene, a major constituent of the tire <br /> fabrication process was also present. The estimated emissions were calculated assuming <br /> that dilution air was added at a constant volume flow and the amount of air entering <br /> equaled the amount exiting the burn hut. A well-mixed condition is also assumed (i.e., the <br /> sample collected at the duct is representative of the gas mixture in the hut). <br /> Semi-volatile organic emissions data are presented in Table 2. Substituted mono- <br /> 2 <br />