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INNOVATIVE SCREENING TECHNOLOGIES FOR DIOXINS IN SOIL
Citation:
GOETZ, J. L. AND S. BILLETS. INNOVATIVE SCREENING TECHNOLOGIES FOR DIOXINS IN SOIL. Presented at 2008 Science Forum, Washington, DC, May 20 - 22, 2008.
Impact/Purpose:
Presentation
Description:
Dioxins are recognized as one of the most pervasive and toxic class of chemicals in the environment. They have been the focus of various human exposure studies and have been found at numerous Superfund and other hazardous waste sites. The cost of dioxin analysis represents a significant portion of the remedial cost associated with a site cleanup. Current EPA methods can cost more than $1000 per sample and results may take more than thirty days to obtain. This presentation will describe the results of a series of verification studies of alternative technologies of dioxin analysis that were evaluated under the Monitoring and Methods section of the Superfund Innovative Technologies Evaluation (SITE) program. These technologies are less expensive and easier to perform than the conventional method (high resolution GC/MS). This project was supported by six Regional Offices that supplied samples and technical advice, the five technology developers who performed sample analysis, and other Agency Program Offices that offered advice and encouragement throughout this study. The findings of these studies showed that data generated by these screening technologies when used with a site specific calibration factor was comparable to results generated by the conventional method. A description of these screening technologies, recommendations for their use, and a comparison to the GC/MS approach will be presented. Critical design elements of the evaluation process as well as lessons learned will be discussed. Research efforts designed to better understand the factors that contribute to the response of these alternative technologies will also be described.