SIST EN 15522-1:2023

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN 15522-1:2020
01-december-2020
Prepoznavanje razlitij olj - Nafta in sorodni naftni proizvodi - 1. del: Vzorčenje
Oil spill identification Petroleum and petroleum related products Part 1: Sampling
Identifizierung von Ölverschmutzungen Rohöl und Mineralölerzeugnisse Teil 1:
Probenahme
Identification des pollutions pétrolières Pétrole et produits pétroliers Partie 1 :
Echantillonnage
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 15522-1
ICS:
13.020.40 Onesnaževanje, nadzor nad Pollution, pollution control
onesnaževanjem in and conservation
ohranjanje
13.060.99 Drugi standardi v zvezi s Other standards related to
kakovostjo vode water quality
75.080 Naftni proizvodi na splošno Petroleum products in
general
oSIST prEN 15522-1:2020 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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oSIST prEN 15522-1:2020


DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
prEN 15522-1
NORME EUROPÉENNE

EUROPÄISCHE NORM

December 2020
ICS 13.020.40; 75.080 Will supersede CEN/TR 15522-1:2006
English Version

Oil spill identification Petroleum and petroleum related
products Part 1: Sampling
Identification des pollutions pétrolières Pétrole et Identifizierung von Ölverschmutzungen Rohöl und
produits pétroliers Partie 1 : Echantillonnage Mineralölerzeugnisse Teil 1: Probenahme
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 19.

If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and
United Kingdom.

Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.


EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2020 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 15522-1:2020 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

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Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations . 5
4 Principle . 7
5 Sampling in general . 7
6 Precautions and avoidance of contamination of samples during collection . 10
7 Sampling equipment and sample containers and closures . 11
8 Sampling procedures . 16
9 Sample documentation and logistics . 21
10 Transport and storage of samples . 24
Annex A (informative) Recommended contents of sampling kits . 25
A.1 Oil-spill sampling . 25
A.2 Vessels, road and rail tank wagons . 25
Annex B (informative) Examples of forms . 27
B.1 Sample record form . 27
B.2 Sample transport and receipt form . 28
Bibliography . 29

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European foreword
This document (prEN 15522-1:2020) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 19 “Gaseous
and liquid fuels, lubricants and related products of petroleum, synthetic and biological origin”, the
secretariat of which is held by NEN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede CEN/TR 15522-1:2006.
In comparison with the previous edition, the following technical modifications have been made:
— Added another design for a helicopter sampling device
— Removed ship designs, because this is only relevant for skilled sample takers that should know where
to sample on a ship.
EN 15522 is composed of two parts that are described by the following CEN documents:
— EN15522-1 – Sampling, describing good sampling practice, detailing sampling equipment, sampling
techniques and the handling of oil samples prior to their arrival at the forensic laboratory;
— EN15522-2 – Analytical Method, which covers the general concepts and laboratory procedures of oil
spill identification, analytical techniques, data processing, data treatment and interpretation/
evaluation and reporting of results.
A list of all parts in the EN 15522 series can be found on the CEN website.
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Introduction
This document describes a forensic method for characterizing and identifying the source of oils spills in
the environment as a resulting from accidents or intentional discharges. The method may be used in
support of the legal process as evidence for prosecuting offenders. This method is based on the
experience gained with its former publications over the years.
Where an oil pollution incident has occurred, samples should be collected from both the spill and,
wherever possible, the potential source of the pollutant, e.g. ship, shore side storage tank, pipeline or
vehicle, in order to assist in the identification or confirmation of the source of the spill.
The aim of this document is to give guidance on the best current practice for taking such samples.
1
Part 1 of EN 15522 is meant to provide general guidelines for legal oil sampling . It does not contain
details relating to all types of spill situation, however, by following these guidelines it should be possible
to collect and provide legally valid samples that can be used in the process of identifying or confirming
the source of the spill.
The issues addressed only cover the mechanics of sample collection. The command and control that may
be put in place during incident response, the authorities who may request sample collection and the
individuals who have the authority to collect samples, will vary from country to country and as a
consequence these issues are not addressed.

1
Legal sampling (according to Interpol Pollution Crime Forensic Investigation Manual [2]): sampling that has been conducted in
such a way that the results of its analysis can be used in a court of law. Procedures are followed to prove the chain-of-custody of
the samples and to prove that they have not been tampered with.

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1 Scope
This document provides guidance on taking and handling samples that are collected as part of an
investigation into the likely source of a crude oil or petroleum product spill into a marine or aquatic
environment. Guidance is given on taking samples from both the spill and its potential source.
Mostly, oil sampling is part of legal procedures and has to be treated like any other preservation of
evidence (legal sampling).
WARNING - Taking samples may involve hazardous materials, operations and equipment.
This document is not intended to address all the safety and health aspects associated with the guidance
given. It is the responsibility of the user to consult and establish appropriate safety and health practices
and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
IMPORTANT - Most countries have special trained teams to take samples on board of ships. As police
officer or law enforcer, don’t take unnecessary risks and ask assistance from such a team when available.
NOTE For the sake of clarity, the word ‘oil’ is used throughout this document. It can equally refer to crude oil,
a petroleum product or mixtures of such.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
2
EN 15522-2:—, Oil Spill Identification – Petroleum and petroleum products – Part 2: Analytical method
and interpretation of results
EN ISO 3170, Petroleum liquids - Manual sampling (ISO 3170)
3 Terms, definitions and abbreviations
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
• IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
• ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
3.1 Terms and definitions
3.1
chain of custody
practice of ensuring security of the sample so that no one has an opportunity to tamper with or otherwise
alter the sample or the results
Note 1 to entry: It includes chronological documentation that records the sequence of sample handling including
sampling, sealing, storage, transfer, analysis and disposal to ensure that only documented sample handlers have
direct access to the samples.

2
Under preparation. Stage at time of publication: prEN 15522-2:2020
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3.2
mixing
mixing of sources containing or consisting of petroleum (products) before, during or after the spillage
Note 1 to entry: Based on that the final spill can be heterogeneous (see 3.3).
3.3
sample heterogeneity
non-representative or non-homogenous character of samples caused for example by variable degrees of
stirring within a vessel, tank or oil slick
3.4
contamination
changes in oil composition which take place during/after the spillage in either sample by addition of non-
petroleum compounds from biogenic or anthropogenic sources
3.5
waterborne oil
petroleum product borne by water or available in the water column from marine, estuarial and aquatic
environments
Note 1 to entry: Aquatic environments include lakes and rivers, but exclude groundwater.
3.6
weathering
changes in oil composition which can take place after the spillage, including evaporation, dissolution,
emulsification, oxidation, biological decomposition, wax redistribution and burning
3.7
bilge water
mixture including water and oil collected in the bilge of the machinery space in a ship as a result of
leakage, drainage, etc
3.8
slop
mixture of water and oil residues from cargo tanks in oil tankers that may contain oil/water emulsions,
wax, sediments and other tank residues
3.9
sludge
deposits, generally from the purification of fuel and lubrication oils, consisting of mixtures including oil,
wax, sand and water
3.10
tank washings
tank washing water containing cargo tank residues including oil, wax, sediment and other foreign matter
such as tank cleaning chemicals
3.11
background samples
samples representing the background that can be expected in source or spill samples
Note 1 to entry: E.g. sample from the surface water close to but not contaminated by the spill, sample from the deck
just next to a contaminated part of the deck of which a sample has been taken.
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3.2 Abbreviations
PE Polyethylene
Tefzel® ETFE Ethylene-tetrafluorethylene
Teflon® PTFE Poly-tetrafluorethylene
Nylon® Polyamide
4 Principle
Samples form an important aspect of any investigation and care should be taken to ensure that they are
as representative of both the spill and the potential source as possible.
When investigating a spill, samples are usually taken from:
— the water surface (sea, river, canal or lake);
— shoreline or banks (sand, shingle, rocks and oiled animals and vegetation);
— marine or river vessel’s cargo tanks, fuel tanks, waste oil tanks, slop tanks, ballast tanks and bilges;
— land tanks and pipelines;
— road and rail vehicles.
For each type of spill specific instructions and materials are required or advised.
All spills and all potential sources of spills are sampled. Sampling takes place as soon as possible and
before any cleaning operation is started. Samples from both the spill and the source are taken.
Samples are handled as legal evidence and are kept in a chain of custody until identification and possible
legal procedure has been completed.
5 Sampling in general
5.1 Introduction
Sampling should take place as soon as possible and always before any cleaning operation is started. It is
important to take samples from both the spill and the source even on such occasions where it seems quite
clear from where the spill originates.
Sampling procedures, which are connected to liability investigations, shall be performed with great care
and accuracy and every action shall be taken to prevent a decrease in the samples' value as evidence.
Sampling procedures and other recommendations in connection with sampling are briefly described in
this clause. The information given is designed to assist the sample collector in obtaining samples, which
may be used for identifying oil spills.
If samples are to be used in connection with legal proceedings, this document should be read in
conjunction with any documents issued by the regulatory authorities in the country or countries in
question where the spill has occurred.
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These recommendations do not contain details relating to all types of spill situations, but should merely
be regarded as general guidelines. However, by following these guidelines it should be possible to collect
and provide legally valid samples that can help to determine the source responsible for the spill.
As an aid to this operation it is recommended that photographs are taken of the site being sampled.
5.2 Sampling schedule
It is essential that all possible sources of a spill are sampled in order to determine its origin. It is also
important that the samples are collected as soon as possible after the spill.
IMPORTANT —Unbiased spill samples shall always be taken before any cleaning operation takes
place.
If a source sample is not obtained shortly after the spillage, it may be impossible to obtain a relevant
sample at a later date. This can render the analyses of the spill samples useless with respect to the
determination of the source responsible for the spill.
If any part of the spill differs in any respect from other parts, extra samples shall be taken to check if more
than one spill has occurred in the area.
If the spill response operation continues for more than one day, samples should be taken every day to
make it possible to determine the degree of weathering of the oil, as well as possible contamination by
other oils.
If an oil sample is suspected to be contaminated with material already in the water, on the deck or on the
hull etc., also take samples including the ‘contaminant’. E.g. waters in harbours and estuaries may contain
traces of various petroleum products and when spills in such waters are sampled it is therefore,
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important to provide the laboratory with background samples of the water.
5.3 Types of sample
The following types of oil or oily mixture can occur at spill sites and shall then be sampled:
• oil, oily water, heavily emulsified oil, tar balls or lumps on the water surface;
• mixtures of oil and sorbents or other materials which are soaked with oil;
• mixtures of oil and foreign materials on beaches;
• surfaces, rocks, quays, plants, sand and soil contaminated with oil;
• oiled animals on the water surface or on beaches.
The following types of oil or oily mixture can occur at suspected sources and shall then be sampled:
• pure oil in ships, offshore constructions or land facilities;
• oily water in bilges and slop tanks on board ships;
• oily sludge in sludge tanks on board ships.
When relevant, the following types of additional samples should be sampled:

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Background (according to Interpol Pollution Crime Forensic Investigation Manual [2]: Background (Control) sample: a sample
of soil, water, air or other medium that is not believed to be impacted by the deleterious environmental discharge and is believed
to represent a “clean sample”.
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• background samples from the engine, deck, hull, water, beach, etc. when possible.
A sample wiped with an ETFE net from a deck may contain contaminants from the deck. Therefore, an
additional sample should be taken by wiping a “clean” part of the deck next to the spill location with a
clean ETFE net.
• counter samples.
Laws can be different in European countries, but in general the potential offender has the right of defence
and can ask for a second set of samples to be analysed in a laboratory of choice (see 9.3).
NOTE Witnessing can be agreed, as alternative for counter samples. Witnessing is common between
commercial laboratories on request of assurance companies. There are, for example, many commercial laboratories
specialized in the analysis of physical properties of petroleum or petroleum products, but not in oil spill
identification. An analyst of such a lab can be ask to witness the unsealing, sample preparation, sample analysis and
sample evaluation of an oil case. When everything is done according protocol and the results are solid, the witness
can indicate this, including remarks, on the final oil case report.
5.4 Sample volume
In general, samples should be taken from the thickest oil accumulations. Each sample should contain
10 ml to 100 ml of oil whenever possible to get a sufficient amount of representative material. However,
if this is not possible, even extremely small amounts of oil should be considered for laboratory analysis,
since analyses themselves require smaller volumes of oil.
IMPORTANT: While analyses can be carried out with very small samples, such samples can be overly
affected by weathering and must be considered less representative. Therefore, taking sufficient sample
material is important.
When samples are collected from very thin oil films on the water surface, it may sometimes be difficult to
acquire even visible traces of oil in the sample.
When available ETFE nets for sampling of such oil films are strongly advised, because the spill material
sticks to the net and can therefore be collected from a larger area.
When ETFE nets are not available water samples should be taken, even when in such cases the sample
apparently consists of pure water. It should be emphasized that even such water samples with a sheen or
a smell of oil may be useful for laboratory analysis.
5.5 Number of samples to be taken
It is strongly advised, when possible, to collect several samples in the spill area. Even in small spills at
least two samples should be taken. In larger spills, the distances between the sampling positions should
be decided for documenting the total range and distribution of the spill.
Be aware that the composition can have varied during the spillage or that more than one source can have
caused the spill.
It is often sufficient to take only one source/spill sample from a single sampling point from a spill, on
board of a ship or in the offshore or land-based installation. If necessary for administrative reasons (e.g.
counter samples), more than one sample may be taken from each sampling point.
However, if there is any suspicion of sample inhomogeneity indicated by different texture / colours, e.g.
on the water surface, on rocks and beaches, in bilges and sludge tanks, at least two, if necessary more,
samples should be taken to cover the variance in composition of the samples.
Background samples should also be collected from background environments (engine, deck, hull, water,
beach, etc.) whenever relevant, in order to determine whether the spilled oil has been contaminated by
an earlier spill or other organic material.
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6 Precautions and avoidance of contamination of samples during collection
6.1 General
It is critical to take precautions in order to prevent contaminating the samples during collection.
Disposable nitrile gloves should be used and as far as possible, the sampling equipment should be
disposable, since a thorough cleaning of oiled equipment is impossible in the field. If equipment is to be
reused, great care needs to be taken to ensure that it is thoroughly cleaned and stored under clean
conditions prior to further use.
If a spill has scattered and only thin sheens remain on the water surface, every possible effort should be
made to take a sample of the spill material. No sample amount is too small and even samples that do not
visibly show any traces of oil can provide useful data in analysis. The use ETFE nets for thin sheen
sampling is strongly advised, because the spill material sticks to the net and can therefore be collected
from a larger area.
Sampling equipment shall be handled and stored in such a manner that its use cannot contaminate the
samples being taken.
6.2 Potential sources of contamination
Avoiding contamination of the samples during sampling is essential. All the following possible sources of
contamination should be considered and the appropriate control applied if necessary. These are:
• residue of earlier samples remaining on sampling containers, funnels, scoops, spatulas and other
equipment;
• material from the site during sampling;
• residual water in or on ropes, chains or extension handles;
• dust or dirty water on the container closure;
• hands, gloves and general handling.
6.3 Controls
Contamination may be minimized by taking the following appropriate action:
• check that the equipment is clean;
• take care to avoid disturbance at the sampling site;
• store containers and closures in a clean environment;
• avoid touching the material to be sampled with fingers, hands or gloves.
If contamination is suspected this should be reported and if possible a fresh sample should be collected.
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7 Sampling equipment and sample containers and closures
7.1 Introduction
It should be noted that some of the equipment described may only be available from specialist sources. It
is recommended that sampling kits should be prepared and readily available.
A description of the contents of suitable sampling kits is given in Annex A, [3] and [4].
It might be useful to contact the lab to which you normally send your samples and ask for advice.
7.2 General instructions and strategies
Samples shall be taken and placed in containers that will enable the samples to be transported safely and
will retain their integrity over the period of time required to transport them to the laboratory for analysis
and storage prior to analysis.
All sampling devices, sample containers and closures should be designed and constructed so as to ensure
the function for which they are intended in order to maintain the initial characteristics of the material
being sampled. Their cleanliness should be confirmed before use.
Some time-honoured sample strategies can be used, when no other equipment is available, but they have
considerable drawbacks:
— wooden material (spatula; clothes-peg):
— it soaks up oil;
— is not cleanable;
— might lead to cross contamination.
— taking watery oil samples by skimming a bottle over the water surface:
— not much oil in the bottle, but a lot of water;
— possible secondary weathering in the bottle during holding time;
— more effort for the lab;
— a lot of oil on the outside of the bottle, which has to be cleaned (which rarely works completely);
— resulting in a lot of oily waste and probably NOT in a clean bottle;
— labels get oily or don’t attach to the glass properly;
— risk of cross-contamination during handling/transport;
— risk to human health.
— classic bottle holders for surface water sampling used for oil sampling:
— sample holder is inevitably oiled after the first sample;
— in the field, it is not possible to clean it properly while the attempt of cleaning will lead to a lot of oily
waste;
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— creation of an artificial spill when taking the second sample;
— cross-contamination is inevitable;
— collects basically an oily water sample.
— “stainless steel or Teflon® bucket with holes” as sampling device:
— works fine for 100 % solid tar balls etc.;
— all unsolidified oil material will stick to the bucket;
— it is difficult to properly clean these buckets in the field;
— not re-usable without cross-contamination.
7.3 Sample containers, closures and packages
Sample takers should use inert materials as sampling containers, for example glass jars or bottles. These
need to be fitted with openings of a sufficient size to accommodate the material being sampled and should
be closed with plastic lids with an inert lining (e.g. PTFE).
Metal closures, corks and rubber bungs should not be used as these may either react with, or contaminate,
the material being sampled.
The capacity of the container will be dependent on the material being sampled and will usually be 100 ml
to 500 ml. Larger wide mouth air-tight containers may be necessary to sample tar-balls (see also 8.3).
During sampling, care shall be taken not to switch lids between sampling containers to prevent cross-
contamination. For this purpose, it is advisable to mark not only the container with the individual sample
ID code, but also the lid.
Plastic sample bags and containers should be avoided for oil forensic sampling, because components from
the plastic material may migrate into the oil and interfere with the analysis.
Note Plastics in general interact with oil samples. Tested exceptions are products made from Nylon® (poly
4
amide), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)® (PTFE) and Tefzel® (ETFE) .
If only, other than Nylon®, plastic containers, or even bags, are available, they could be used as last resort,
however, it has to be expected that the sample value is greatly decreased and the possibility that the
samples are worthless in court procedures is increased.
Depending on the means of transportation and storage, secondary packaging and additional cooling of
the sample containers is needed. Plastic bags or boxes in which the sample container can be sealed should
be of sufficient strength and size to accommodate the sample(s) and retain its sealed condition during
transpor
...