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5.0 HAZARD EVALUATION Petroleum distillate fuels are mixtures of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, the constituent concentrations of which can vary significantly dependent upon the crude feedstock, refining process, and seasonal variations. The predominant types of compounds in fuels are paraffins (e.g., pentane, hexane), naphthenes (e.g., cyclohexane) and aromatics (e.g., benzene, toluene, polynuclear aromatics). Gasoline contains about 80% paraffins, 6% naphthenes, and 14% aromatics. Fuel oils contain about 10% paraffin, up to 23% naphthenes, and up to 78% non-volatile aromatic hydrocarbons. Petroleum distillate fuels exhibit relatively low acute inhalation and dermal toxicity. Concentrations of 160 to 270 ppm gasoline vapor have been reported to cause eye, nose, and throat irritation in people after several hours of exposure. Levels of 500 to 900 ppm have been reported to cause irritation and dizziness in one hour and 2,000 ppm has been reported to cause mild anesthesia in 30 minutes. Gasoline, will cause severe eye irritation on contact with the eye and low to moderate skin irritation on contact with the skin. Ingestion of 10 to 15 grams (2 to 3 teaspoons) of gasoline has caused death in children. In adults, ingestion of 20 to 50 grams may produce severe symptoms of poisoning. The most dangerous aspect of ingestion of these motor fuels is the development of chemical pneumonia from the aspiration of gasoline or other fuels into the lungs. Aspiration of very small quantities of these motor fuels into the lungs is often fatal. Some gasoline additives, such as ethylene dichloride, ethylene dibromide, and tetraethyl- and tetramethyl-lead are highly toxic materials, however, their concentrations in gasoline are so low that their contribution to the overall toxicity of gasoline is negligible in most instances. Petroleum distillate fuels are flammable. Under certain conditions, this property presents a greater risk than toxicity. Two of the fuels covered by this HSP are classified by the Federal Department of Transportation as flammable liquids as they typically have flash points of 100° F or less. These fuels are gasoline and No. 1 fuel oil. Lower explosive limits of the fuels range from 0.6% to 1.4% (6,000 to 14,000 ppm). 80500000 H:\HEALTH\FHLHSP April 21, 1993 FEMA UST,Erol G.mric HSP 10