Living near a petrol station is 'bad for your health' as fuel pollutants found to travel 100m

Published 07th Feb 2011

Living near a petrol station can be a health hazard, researchers warn.

They say the air in the immediate vicinity of garages is often polluted with airborne particles from evaporated fuel and therefore harmful to local residents.

Scientists from the University of Murcia in Spain studied the effects of contamination at petrol stations.

They found dangerous airborne pollutants from garages could contaminate buildings as far as 100m away.

The scientists said a 'minimum' distance of 50 metres should therefore be maintained between petrol stations and housing, and 100 metres for 'especially vulnerable' facilities such as hospitals, health centres, schools and old people's homes.

Study co author Marta Doval, said: 'Some airborne organic compounds - such as benzene, which increases the risk of cancer - have been recorded at petrol stations at levels above the average levels for urban areas where traffic is the primary source of emission.'

The study, published in the Journal of Environmental Management, shows the air at petrol stations and in their immediate surroundings is especially affected by emissions stemming from evaporated vehicle fuels. This includes unburnt fuel from fuel loading and unloading operations, refuelling and liquid spillages.

The research team measured the levels of 'typical traffic' pollutants in different parts of the urban area of Murcia. They then calculated the quotients for the levels of an aromatic compound (benzene) and a hydrocarbon (n-hexane) at three Murcia petrol stations - near the petrol pumps and surrounding areas - to find the distance at which the service stations stop having an impact.

In the three cases studied a maximum distances of influence of close to 100 metres was found although the average distance of contamination was around 50 metres.

But the distances depend on the number of petrol pumps, the amount of fuel drawn from them, traffic intensity, the structure of the surroundings, and weather conditions.

Source: ' Daily Mail '

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