SPI’s Oil Bond Accepted for Use By EPA With Oil Spills In Navigable Waters
SPI’s Oil Bond solidification product was listed in the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, more commonly called the National Contingency Plan or the NCP, for use with oil spills in navigable waters. The NCP is the U.S. federal government's blueprint for responding to oil spills and hazardous substance releases. It documents national response capability and is intended to promote coordination between responders and contingency plans NCP. To be listed under the NCP's Miscellaneous Oil Spill Control Agent (MOSCA) catagory, Oil Bond was tested to ensure that it was not toxic to aquatic life.
According to a National Response Team Science & Technology fact sheet, solidifiers should meet the following criteria:
- Insoluble in water
- Specific gravity of less than 1.0
- Composed primarily of polymers (with few other additives)
- Contain less than 5 ppm of heavy metals and chlorinated hydocarbons
- Have a physical reaction with oil whereby at the prescribed application rate the oil is absorbed by the product in a manner where the oil is resistant to leaching
- Does not release solidified liquids under pressure
- Nontoxic to wildlife and other species
In late 2009, SPI's Donna Gannon had begun coordinating toxicity testing with Coastal Bioanalysts Inc. of Gloucester, VA. According to Ms. Gannon, some of SPI's customers remembered that in 1986, the original Oil-Bond 100 was the first solidifier ever listed on the NCP MOSCA schedule and that it was used for testing on the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. These customers requested that SPI have the current version of Oil Bond relisted on the NCP schedule. The final analytical testing was completed on April 19, 2010 — the day of the BP Deepwell Horizon oil spill. Ms. Gannon completed the EPA data submission on June 3, 2010.
Despite the NCP listing, all products for use on an oil spill in navigable waters must still be authorized for use in specific cases by the Federal On-Scene Coordinator.
Oil Bond is listed on the NCP Technical Product Bulletin as #M-27 and is available for use with spills other than land-based, plant maintenance applications. Oil Bond is manufactured in loose particulate, booms, pads, and pillows. Spill kits and custom orders are also available.
