Millions of people across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the rest of the United States rely on heating oil to keep their homes warm during the winter. However, there is a downside to this form of heating, as there is always the risk of heating oil spills, which can both cause environmental harm and can be potentially hazardous to any people nearby. But what causes domestic heating oil spills, and what should you do if one happens in or near your home?
What Are Domestic Heating Oil Spills?
Domestic heating oil spills are essentially what they sound like: heating oil from a truck or tank leaks into the environment unintentionally, usually due to some form of accident. When these spills happen, they can contaminate the environment and pose a danger to the health and safety of everyone nearby. Cleaning up heating oil spills can be a long and costly process, but it is necessary to mitigate the damage they cause.
What Causes Heating Oil Spills?
There are a number of ways that domestic heating oil spills can occur. These include, but are not limited to:
- Accidents involving trucks carrying heating oil
- Leaky heating oil pipes or tanks
- Overfilled oil tanks
- Misdelivery by heating oil trucks
- Structural failures in the tank or heating system
- Malfunctioning tank systems
While some of these issues are unavoidable, many of them can be prevented with adequate care. Heating oil tanks and heating systems should be well maintained to avoid structural failures, and truck drivers should take adequate care to avoid accidental overfills or misdeliveries.
What Are the Risks of Domestic Heating Oil Spills?
When there is a domestic heating oil spill, there is a substantial risk of harm to everyone nearby. Heating oil is incredibly toxic, and even the fumes from the oil can potentially cause health problems. Even once the oil has been cleaned up, the foul odor can linger for months afterwards, becoming a nuisance to everyone living there. If it gets into the environment, it can contaminate the soil and drinking water, potentially making it unsafe to drink or use. If it comes into contact with personal property such as clothing or personal heirlooms, they can be permanently ruined. And, of course, heating oil is incredibly flammable, meaning a spill can potentially lead to a high risk of a fire.
What Should You Do if You Experience an Oil Spill?
If there has been an oil spill in or near your home, your first priority should be to shut off any open flames or other heat sources, if you can safely do so. You should even avoid turning on electronics in the area, if possible. You should leave the premises right away and contact 911 to inform them of the spill. You should also contact your state’s Department of Environmental Protection and report the spill (for Pennsylvania, click here, and for New Jersey, click here). And if the spill was the result of another person’s negligence, you should contact a lawyer with experience handling environmental contamination cases, who can assist you in obtaining compensation for any harm you have suffered.
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.