TY - JOUR
T1 - Suitability assessment of legal regulation of chemical concentrations according to vapor pressure and damage radius
AU - Lee, Hyo Eun
AU - Yoon, Seok J.
AU - Sohn, Jong Ryeul
AU - Huh, Da An
AU - Jang, Seok Won
AU - Moon, Kyong Whan
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by the Ministry of Environment (MOE) of Korea under the title “The Chemical Accident Prevention Technology Development Project” (grant no. 20150019500001).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PY - 2019/2/1
Y1 - 2019/2/1
N2 - Many chemicals used in the industrial field present risks, which differ depending on their chemical properties. Additionally, their various physicochemical properties change considerably with concentration. Many chemicals are used in customized processes in factories in the form of different aqueous solutions. The Korean Chemicals Control Act evaluates “hazardous chemicals,” describes their risks to the public, and regulates their concentration. To prepare against chemical accidents, factories construct models of potential damage radius, which is greatly influenced by a chemical’s vapor pressure. This study selected substances with widely varying vapor pressures (hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, aqueous ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide) and compared the results of different modeling programs (KORA, ALOHA, PHAST, and RMP*Comp) for various aqueous solution concentrations. The results showed that damage radius and vapor pressure increased similarly for each substance. Damage radius was negligible at low concentrations for all substances studied. Damage radius of ammonia solution increased with vapor pressure. Hydrogen fluoride is not found in aqueous solution at concentrations of less than 37%, and hydrogen peroxide does not show a large damage radius at low concentrations. However, the Chemicals Control Act strictly regulates hydrogen fluoride concentration beginning at 1%, hydrogen chloride and aqueous ammonia at 10%, and hydrogen peroxide at 6%. To effectively prepare against chemical accidents, we must examine scientifically-based, suitable regulations based on physicochemical properties.
AB - Many chemicals used in the industrial field present risks, which differ depending on their chemical properties. Additionally, their various physicochemical properties change considerably with concentration. Many chemicals are used in customized processes in factories in the form of different aqueous solutions. The Korean Chemicals Control Act evaluates “hazardous chemicals,” describes their risks to the public, and regulates their concentration. To prepare against chemical accidents, factories construct models of potential damage radius, which is greatly influenced by a chemical’s vapor pressure. This study selected substances with widely varying vapor pressures (hydrogen fluoride, hydrogen chloride, aqueous ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide) and compared the results of different modeling programs (KORA, ALOHA, PHAST, and RMP*Comp) for various aqueous solution concentrations. The results showed that damage radius and vapor pressure increased similarly for each substance. Damage radius was negligible at low concentrations for all substances studied. Damage radius of ammonia solution increased with vapor pressure. Hydrogen fluoride is not found in aqueous solution at concentrations of less than 37%, and hydrogen peroxide does not show a large damage radius at low concentrations. However, the Chemicals Control Act strictly regulates hydrogen fluoride concentration beginning at 1%, hydrogen chloride and aqueous ammonia at 10%, and hydrogen peroxide at 6%. To effectively prepare against chemical accidents, we must examine scientifically-based, suitable regulations based on physicochemical properties.
KW - Areal location of hazardous atmospheres (ALOHA)
KW - Chemicals control act
KW - Concentration of chemicals
KW - Korea off-site risk assessment supporting tool (KORA)
KW - Process hazard analysis software tool (PHAST)
KW - RMPComp
KW - Vapor pressure
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85060639947&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/ijerph16030347
DO - 10.3390/ijerph16030347
M3 - Article
C2 - 30691152
AN - SCOPUS:85060639947
VL - 16
JO - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
JF - International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
SN - 1661-7827
IS - 3
M1 - 347
ER -