Gas Stations

If popular expression is accurate, people in America have a love affair with their cars. According to one source, in 2018 there were about 276 million cars registered to be on the road in the United States. All of those cars need a tremendous amount of gasoline to get them to wherever it is they are all going. To help satisfy that appetite for fuel, there are about 168,000 gas stations across the country. There seems to be no shortage of places to fill up gas tanks most of the time. Of course, we all have had that stomach-churning experience of seeing our fuel gauge almost at empty and hoping we could make it to a station before getting stranded. For the most part, though, we see these gas stations on corners everywhere. Other than getting gas at them, what else can we get from a gas station? Those who happen to live near one also get toxic fumes and potentially cancer-causing pollution in the air and water they breathe and drink. 

 

Is it a safe or good idea to live near a gas station? Based on the information scientists and researchers have reviewed from hundreds of studies, that answer is a definite no. It certainly is a convenience to always be able to get gas or a cup of coffee on the way out to work in the morning. Some people living close may even enjoy taking a walk to a nearby gas station to get one of those delicious snacks off the roller machines or a frozen fountain drink on a hot summer night. However, the constant exposure to the negative health impacts far outweigh any possible positives. 

 

Regardless of all the rules and regulations in place for operating a gas station and minimizing the escape of toxic and hazardous fumes, there is a large risk. No matter how closely the gas station operators and their employees follow safety procedures, there are still too many uncontrolled issues. People living near gas stations constantly expose themselves to higher levels of hazardous chemicals than those living further away. Studies have measured the presence of airborne chemicals at gas stations and have found higher concentrations of harmful emissions up to 300 feet away. Toxic fumes have been found even further away from high volume stations. 

 

We usually don’t think of a gas station as having some of the same hazards as a factory, but there are similarities between the two. Gas stations have toxic emissions of many chemicals that are dangerous to our health. One of the most dangerous chemicals in gasoline and always present at gas stations is benzene. Exposure to this specific chemical is linked to many serious diseases and is the cause of several types of cancers. Locations where petroleum is burned (highways and gas stations) or manufactured are prime for high and dangerous concentrations of benzene in the air. Chronic exposure to benzene fumes affects blood cells frequently leading to anemia and potentially cell mutations. 

 

Many studies show evidence that gas stations expose people to unsafe levels of hazardous chemicals, especially benzene. This is not an occasional problem but an ongoing one.  Quite a few of the researchers saw results showing unsafe levels were exceeded numerous times for periods of over an hour or longer. 

 

One of the researchers, first author Markus Hilpert, Ph.D., associate professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Columbia Mailman School, made the following statement regarding his group’s results: “We found evidence that much more benzene is released by gas stations than previously thought. In addition, even during a relatively short study period, we saw a number of instances in which people could be exposed to the chemical at locations beyond the setback distance of 300 feet.”

 

When evaluating risk from gas stations there are several areas to look at.

 

1. Pump Vapors and Fumes

 

When we talk with people about potential health issues from a gas station, the first thoughts they have are the gas pumps. The most obvious concerns are about the gasoline fumes from pumping the gasoline into the cars filling up and from the tanker trucks delivering product. Most states have so-called low emission controlled pumps that work to limit the amount of fumes lost.  However, even when they are working, they still leak some. Whether it is a few drops when a user places the nozzle in their car or when they put it back into the pump, some gas is usually dropped. 

 

Gasoline has a very distinct smell. We notice this smell every time we pump our own gas.  Some of us actually like the smell of gas and get a little pleasure rush when we breathe it. Even if we enjoy the rush, it comes at a cost. That rush is actually the effects of the brain being deprived from oxygen as the gasoline vapors restrict the flow to the brain. The odor of the fumes is caused by the hydrocarbons that make up much of the 150 chemicals needed to make gasoline being released into the air. When even small quantities of hydrocarbons enter the bloodstream through the lungs, this can result in a reduction of the functioning of the central nervous system (CNS) and cause organ damage. Health effects from exposure to petroleum products vary depending on the concentration of the substance and the length of time that one is exposed. Breathing petroleum vapors can cause nervous system effects (such as headache, nausea, and dizziness) and respiratory irritation. Chronic exposure to petroleum products may affect the nervous system, blood, and kidneys.

 

These fumes can and do travel away from the pumps and the ground near the station. A study examining the distances these chemicals can travel found fumes containing toxic chemical vapors in harmful quantities up to 300 feet from the station. The more pumps at the station, the further the vapors travel and the higher their concentration. Especially disturbing are the elevated amounts of benzene found. Benzene in particular is a known cancer-causing chemical, and long-term exposure causes leukemia and brain damage. Toluene is another compound found in high levels, and it can cause liver and kidney damage as well as threaten the health of babies and pregnant women.

 

Most gas stations in the past had six or eight pumps, but these days they frequently have 20 or more. The tiny amounts of vapors from spills and pumping add up fast. Tiny amounts of these chemicals have disproportionately large negative effects on the body.

 

Making matters worse, when the tanker trucks arrive to refill the underground tanks, fumes are released when they open the tanks to hook up the truck and also when they release the lines. This adds up to much more being released, and some stations pump and receive thousands of gallons each week.  Repeated exposure to the chemical components in gasoline can lead to lung disease as well as brain and kidney damage. Children’s small lungs, still developing body, and higher breathing rate make them especially vulnerable to long-term exposure and their ill effects.

 

2. Exhaust Emissions

 

One of the bigger issues with living near a gas station is the continuous exhaust emissions from the vehicles and trucks coming in and out of the gas station all day (and night if it’s a 24-hour gas station). Some of the larger gas stations refill hundreds or even thousands of vehicles per day. Whether somebody just runs in to pick up a soda or a cup of coffee or to fill up the gas tank, they all emit exhaust while there. Sitting in line waiting our turn to pull up to the pump, our cars are running and putting out exhaust gas. 

 

Not all gases and vapor in exhaust emissions are harmful. Water is one of the vapors that is emitted in exhaust, and water vapors themselves are not harmful. However, many of the vapors are harmful. Those include sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and (the most dangerous hydrocarbon is this group) benzene. 

 

But that is not all. In addition to these harmful gases is particulate matter called soot, the black smoke that comes from an exhaust. It is the residue left from incomplete burning of gasoline and emitted with the rest as exhaust. In diesel vehicles, which many pickup trucks and some cars use, much more soot is produced than regular gasoline engines. That is the primary reason some countries are trying to phase out new diesel engines. 

 

There is no dispute that these vapors and fumes are dangerous to people exposed to them. Continuous exposure to these fumes over a long period of time has been shown to have harmful effects, especially in children. 

 

3. Vehicle Repair and Service Work

 

Many gas stations still do repairs and service work on vehicles. In those cases, not only is there risk from gas, there is added consideration if there are any other chemicals used at the location for the repair shop. Solvents, antifreeze, and vapors from spray products may be present. Freon from air conditioners adds more toxins to the air. If the shop does painting, add even more vapors locals breathe in. In addition, there are leaking fluids from the vehicles themselves while they sit outside, needing repairs. Vehicle repair stations have a whole lot of serious health considerations. Tony and I never tell ourselves that if the business operates properly, there is no risk. We have been in this long enough to know there will always be fugitive emissions, leaks, and spills, no matter how vigilant and careful the place is. 

 

If you are living near a service operation in addition to a gas station, this presents a double risk to you and your health.

 

4. Vent Pipes from Underground Storage Tanks

 

When I first worked with a group researching the subject of the dangers of gas stations, this hazard was a total surprise to me. After all the time I have spent looking at gas station hazards, it was news to me that they have a venting system attached to their underground tanks. Most people do not know about this, but it actually is sitting right in the open. Those who look closely enough will see several thin metal tubes on top of the building, or more likely, the gas pump canopy. The purpose of the venting system is to regulate the pressure in the underground tanks. They need a mechanism to make certain the tanks do not have too much or too little pressure as the fumes expand and contract. The fumes regularly released by these vent pipes may exceed what is released at the pump. There is the hidden and almost always unknown danger of the fumes vented directly from the underground gas tanks to the air keeping the tank pressure stable.

 

Concerns over exactly what and how much these vent pipes released was raised by the scientific community because vapors from gasoline contain a large number of toxic chemicals. To reiterate, one of the most dangerous, and a known carcinogen, is benzene. A study was done by a group of scientists from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health researching the vapors released from these vent pipes. Their results showed levels of emissions 10 times higher than deemed safe by the EPA. The levels of hazardous chemicals being evaporated at the vent pipes registered up to seven gallons of gas per day being emitted into the air from the pipes, an amount that would require an enormous number of little drops to evaporate from the pump. Other studies showed quantities of dangerous benzene fumes far exceeding those at the pump almost 1,000 feet away from the vents at the station.

 

Only some states have any regulations requiring a distance or setback between a gas station and another use like a school, apartment building, or park. In fact, some cities may have a gas station located right next to an apartment building or even a school. Living even 500 feet away from the toxic fumes released from these pipes can endanger people’s health. 

 

5. Leaks and Spills

 

Every hour, every day, many small gas spills occur at the gas stations as people fill up and use the gas hoses. These seemingly tiny and small spills over the course of the day add up. As the spilled gas evaporates from the ground, it adds to the levels of benzene and other chemical compounds in the air.

 

When we are at the gas station and have a few drips or a tiny spill, we usually shrug it off, figuring it doesn’t matter. Researchers found, however, it really did make a difference. When there was precipitation, the runoff from the stations washed into storm drains, onto neighboring properties, and into the underground water supply for private and public water systems.

 

A study with a slightly different angle was conducted by Johns Hopkins Bloomfield School of Public Health. They looked at the cumulative effect of gasoline saturating the concrete. Results from their study determined that not only is runoff from the concrete a big problem, but some of the chemicals in the liquid gasoline will penetrate into the porous concrete material. More toxins and contamination will accumulate in the concrete pad under the pumps and fill areas. The researchers calculated that in a 10 year span, 1,500 liters of gasoline will penetrate through the concrete and get into the soil and groundwater. This creates contaminated water for neighbors and public water supplies with wells in the area.

 

Based on the amount of benzene in gasoline, a spill of 10 gallons of gas has the mathematical potential to contaminate 12 million gallons of water.

 

6. Leaking Underground Storage Tanks

 

All gas stations have underground tanks to store gasoline. Up until the mid-1980s, most tanks were constructed of a simple single layer of steel. The average lifespan of these tanks was anywhere from 15 to 30 years. The tanks simply corroded and rusted until they leaked. Back then, there were no monitors or devices to alert a station owner when their tank was leaking. Because most of the leaks started out small, they went unnoticed. The amount of gasoline being leaked quickly added up to thousands of gallons. 

 

Once the gasoline was in the soil, it traveled downward until it hit the aquifer underneath and then would form a plume leading away from the direction of the leak. Leaks that soaked into the soil traveled as well, with the fumes from evaporation of the gasoline headed upward towards the surface. Gasoline-saturated soils also have plumes of contamination traveling through them and away from the source of the leak.  Fumes work their way up to the surface to escape into the air. Depending on the distance the plume traveled and the size of it, fumes may also have been released underneath any buildings, similar to the way radon enters buildings. 

 

Modern gas stations argue that they use the latest in technology to prevent any leaks, but leaks still do occur. They are much less common with the double wall plastic tanks and soil monitoring systems, but accidents occasionally happen. In particular, the nozzles and connections which attach hoses and pipes to these tanks are potential places for leaks to occur. 

 

Moreover, even though many of the old tanks have been removed from the ground, there is still an existing threat from those that are still buried. Unfortunately, once the gas has leaked into the soil, removing the old tank does not solve the contamination problem that already exists. 

 

Gas stations in areas that depend on their own wells for a water supply need to be extremely cautious about contamination from leaks, spills, and runoff nearby. In Towamensing Township, Pennsylvania, three houses next to a gas station had their well water contaminated by diesel fuel from a nearby gas station with a leaking tank. One resident ended up in the hospital after consuming some of the contaminated water and becoming sick.

 

In Longview, Washington, a 60 year old leaking gas tank at a gas station was removed, leaving behind contaminated soil and groundwater. Monitoring wells needed to be installed to track any further spread of pollution.  

 

The past Attorney General of New York State said, “Leaking underground storage tanks are the largest single threat to groundwater quality in the United States.” Already, in many areas, large aquifers supplying water to millions of people are polluted with chemicals from gasoline that leaked from these underground tanks. 

 

A study by the U.S. Geological Survey sampled 225 water supply wells in Rockingham County, New Hampshire. In 40% of public wells MTBE a gasoline additive was found. Testing is being expanded, and the state has identified 228 high priority sites with past gasoline releases in the area in many of those. Over 100 wells tested positive for MBTE, which is linked to liver and kidney damage. The EPA considers the compound to also be a possible carcinogen. 

 

According to one estimate, as many as 75,000 to 100,000 underground storage tanks leak millions of gallons of gasoline into groundwater each year. Some of the chemicals making up the gasoline mix with the water. People who live near these leaks would be exposed to these chemicals when they drink, bathe in, shower with, or otherwise use the water. 

 

Living near a gas station is not a great idea because you are always being subjected to toxic chemicals, known as chronic exposure. Depending on the concentration of the chemicals and the length of time you are exposed, the cumulative effects may begin to affect your nervous system. 

 

Some of the minor effects of living near a gas station include frequent headaches and nausea. Beyond that, there are links between long-term exposure to gasoline vapors and liver and kidney disease. Some of the more serious effects of long-term exposure include permanent organ damage, muscular degeneration, lung damage, brain disease, and several types of cancerIn fact, an analysis published in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed children living near gas stations had a higher risk of childhood leukemia. 

 

Based on our review, Tony and I recommend 500 feet as the minimum distance you want to have from any gas station. Honestly, we are not even comfortable with that distance as safe. This is a dangerous place to live near. More distance is certainly better, so if possible, stay away up to 1,000 feet. For people in higher-risk populations such as children and older people, the distance should be even higher. Hospitals, schools, and elder care facilities should never be closer than 1,000 feet at the minimum distance.