Beacon Presentation Abstract 2015
DoDELAP/ISO17025 AccreditedLaboratoryTNI NEFAP Accredited Field Sampling Organization
TNI NELAP Accredited Laboratory –Air and Emissions
Title:Time-Integrated, Passive Indoor Air Sampling for a Better Vapor Intrusion Risk Assessment
Presenter:Harry O'Neill, President, Beacon Environmental Services, Inc.
Abstract: When determining potential health risks from the vapor intrusion of organic compounds, indoor air samples are typically collected over 24 hour periods or less; however, research completed by Dr. Paul Johnson (President of the Colorado School of Mines) and others have determined that the temporal variability of indoor air contaminant concentrations from vapor intrusion can vary by orders of magnitude over time and that short duration samples collected over 24 hours are likely to produce results that are not truly representative of health risks. However, using sorbent samplers to passively sample air over days or weeks will provide long-duration average concentrations that overcome the temporal variability and episodic occurrences of vapor intrusion. Further, passive samplers can target chlorinated and petroleum compounds over 14 day periods or longer to target trace levels of contaminants with reporting limits in the ppt range.
Passive sorbent samplers are easy-to-use and do not require any pumps or mechanical equipment to operate. Sorbents that are used in passive samplers have a demonstrated affinity for a range of organic compounds, such as chlorinated compounds and petroleum hydrocarbons, and have pre-determined uptake rates that allow the results to be reported in units of concentration (ug/m3 or ppbv).
A discussion on the applications ofthe technology willbe provided, including an on-going indoor air monitoring program where passive samplers have replaced summa canisters to sample over 300 homes that reside above a chlorinated solvent plume. The talkwill cover thebenefitsand limitation ofpassive methods,applications, range of target compounds, detection limits,complimentary technologies, and casestudies.Included will also be current US federal standardsthatreferencepassivesamplers for sampling indoor and ambient air, as well as a discussionof therequirements fromISO 16017:2 and the new US EPA Method 325 that requires passive samplers to monitor the emissions of benzene from refineries.
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