Whether the oil evaporates or is burned in situ on the water
surface, a small but significant percentage is converted into aerosol
particles smaller than 1 μm in diameter. These particles can
penetrate into the lungs with potential health effects (23). There
are, however, key differences in these two sources of particulate
matter from the oil spill. During the course of the spill, the total
mass of SOA formed in the atmosphere was approximately 10
times larger than the soot mass emitted from the burns. The soot
particles from in situ burns were confined to narrow plumes so
the absolute concentrations of particles from the burns were
much higher. Furthermore, the heat associated with the in situ
burning lofted some of the soot particles above the marine
boundary layer where they could be transported farther than the