API PUBL 4619-1995

$25.35

A Study to Characterize Air Concentrations of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) at Service Stations in the Northeast

Published By	Publication Date	Number of Pages
API	1995	138

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Description

The compound methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is routinely added to gasoline during the winter driving season to reduce carbon monoxide (CO) emissions from motor vehicles in CO nonattainment areas. In 1992, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began receiving anecdotal complaints of headaches, nausea, and other symptoms following alleged wintertime exposures to MTBE in fuels. EPA solicited estimates of typical air concentrations of MTBE that motorists and attendants might experience during refueling at service stations that dispense gasoline containing MTBE. In response, the American Petroleum Institute (API) funded breathing zone, pump island and station perimeter measurements of ambient MTBE concentrations at 10 service stations in the New York metropolitan area in April 1993. Air samples were also analyzed for BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene), THC (total hydrocarbons), CO and formaldehyde. Field personnel monitored meteorological parameters, gasoline composition (oxygenate content, Reid vapor pressure, BTEX), and gasoline sales and deliveries during each sampling period. Personnel also noted the time each vehicle was refueled and conducted regular counts of traffic on nearby roadways. The principal findings of the study are summarized below:

1.Mean and maximum four-hour average MTBE concentrations generally decrease from breathing zone to pump island to perimeter, suggesting that refueling activities are the principal source of MTBE measured at service stations, and MTBE concentrations are generally lower at stations with Stage II vapor controls.

2.Median four-hour average MTBE concentrations for all stations are below 2 ppm at breathing zone and pump island locations and below 0.02 ppm at the station perimeters.

3.Maximum four-hour average MTBE concentrations are below 2.6 ppm at breathing zone and pump island locations and below 0.2 ppm at station perimeters.

4.Because the canisters also sampled non refueling periods, breathing zone measurements may underestimate actual breathing zone concentrations during fuel dispensing by station-specific factors ranging from 1 to 3. Most factors fall between 1.0 and 1.4.

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