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BSH Report No. 56 
One side of the problems related to such spills are the costs for beach closure 
and clean up. The Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (CCME) does 
extensive remediation work for spills succeeding a certain threshold which 
turns them Into “complex costal pollution Incidents”. This threshold consists of 
a spill Involving more than 30 m 3 of material, or when at least 10 km of polluted 
shorelines [4] are observed. The majority of paraffin wax spills however are 
blow this definition and the concerned communities of the beaches have to 
pay for the clean-up, facing economic challenges with no perspective of gov 
ernmental support. 
The other side of paraffin wax spills are toxicological Implications for human 
health and the environment. While pure paraffin wax Is not considered hazard 
ous to humans, tank ships however never carry paraffin wax with medical or 
cosmetic grade, but an Industrial product with a rather low level of purity. Some 
of the impurities can be polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), originating from the 
extraction process. PAHs are known to be carcinogenic and may occur In con 
centrations that pose a threat to humans and the environment [5]. 
To date, tank washing under certain circumstances conforms to IMO’s MAR- 
POL regulations [7]. Nevertheless, these Incidences contribute to the ongoing 
debate if tank cleaning activities of vessels at sea should be further restricted. 
If such restrictions would enter Into force, an Immediate demand for analytical 
methods and techniques for proper source Identification of paraffin spills would 
arise. The presented study can therefore contribute to the aim of developing a 
method for paraffin spill Identification which provides the same confidence 
CEN2012 Is providing for oil spill Identification.