These releases have been caused by leaks, spills and overfills from UST systems and many have posed serious threats to human health and the environment.
Petroleum products contain many potentially hazardous and toxic chemicals.
Fumes and vapors can travel beneath the ground and collect in areas such as basements, utility vaults, and parking garages where they can pose a serious threat of explosion, fire, and suffocation or other adverse health effects. There have been many reported instances where people have lost their lives as the result of these types of accidents. Gasoline, leaking from service stations, is one of the most common sources of groundwater pollution. Because approximately one-half of the population of the United States relies on groundwater as their source of drinking water, groundwater pollution is a serious problem. Many municipal and private wells have had to be shut down as the result of contamination caused by releases from UST systems.