Applying The All-hazard Approach To Managing Sour Gas Emergencies In Alberta And British Columbia
Abstract
The concerns about sour natural gas exploration and production include significant environmental and health effects associated with the hydrogen sulphide (H2S) contained in the gas. Methane has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) that is 25 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2) (IPCC, 2007). A person who is exposed to as little as 100 ppm (0.01%) of H2S can experience respiratory irritation, sore throat, and wheezing whereas exposure to concentrations of 1000 ppm (0.1%) of H2S can result in death (Alberta Health Services, 2007). This prompts the question; are the emergency management regulations in Alberta and British Columbia adequate to mitigate the impacts to the environment and human health? A comparative methodology was used to compare the emergency management regulations in Alberta and British Columbia against a known model for managing emergencies, known as the Four Pillars of Emergency Management. This research project suggests that British Columbia has adopted superior emergency management regulations that satisfied the outlined criteria 94% of the time whereas Alberta’s regulations satisfy the criteria only 69% of the time.
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Citation
McDowell, C. (2017). Applying The All-hazard Approach To Managing Sour Gas Emergencies In Alberta And British Columbia (Unpublished report). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.