As the weather gets colder and more people start turning on their heat, there is a greater risk of heating oil spills. These sorts of spills may sound relatively banal, but in reality they can cause serious damage to you, your home, and your family, and can become incredibly costly to clean up. But what exactly are the health and environmental risks of a heating oil spill, and how might that impact you?
What is a Heating Oil Spill?
A heating oil spill is more or less what it sounds like: due to some kind of mishap, the heating oil intended to be stored in an oil tank spills out, either into your home or into the surrounding environment. This is a serious issue because heating oil is both toxic and flammable, and cannot be safely cleaned up by normal means. This means that even when no one is injured in a heating oil spill, it can become a major expense as you find experts equipped to handle these sorts of spills.
How Do Heating Oil Spills Happen?
One of the most common ways that heating oil spills happen is, simply, from an oil truck operator messing up, either overfilling a tank or missing the tank when trying to fill it. These sorts of spills can also happen if there is some kind of damage to the oil tank or the heating system, as oil can potentially leak through cracks or breaks. They can also occur due to unrelated accidents, such as someone getting into a car accident with a heating oil truck.
What Are the Health Risks of a Heating Oil Spill?
The most direct threat of a heating oil spill comes from being around the oil unprotected. Heating oil is toxic and should not be handled without special protective equipment, and even its fumes can cause problems like headaches, dizziness, and nausea. In addition, it can pose a risk to your home if not cleaned up, as the oil is highly flammable and can easily cause a house fire if not cleaned up promptly.
What Are the Environmental Risks of a Heating Oil Spill?
In addition, if the oil spills into the surrounding environment, it can cause severe damage to your property or the surrounding area. This can contaminate the ground, killing plant life in the vicinity and scaring off animals. Depending on the size of the spill, it can easily cost thousands of dollars to repair the damage to the area around your home coming from a heating oil spill.
Williams Cedar is a law firm dedicated to helping clients with personal injury, environmental law, and civil rights cases. We specialize in assisting clients who have been injured due to exposure to environmental toxins, including veterans and their loved ones. If you need legal assistance due to toxic exposure or other related matters, please give us a call at our New Jersey and Pennsylvania offices at (215) 557-0099, or visit our contact page.