You are here:
TWO OPTIONS SOIL-GAS HAZARD PROTECTION PROFESSIONALS AND CITIZEN SCIENTISTS HAVE FOR PRODUCING SOIL-GAS SAFE COMMUNITIES (WHEN CHEMICAL VAPORS ARE INVOLVED)
Citation:
Schuver, H., K. Crincoli, K. Fetcie, C. Lutes, L. levy, R. Truesdale, A. Kondash, A. Carroll, B. Schumacher, J. Zimmerman, C. Holton, D. Steck, L. Siegel, K. Hoylman, AND K. Pennell. TWO OPTIONS SOIL-GAS HAZARD PROTECTION PROFESSIONALS AND CITIZEN SCIENTISTS HAVE FOR PRODUCING SOIL-GAS SAFE COMMUNITIES (WHEN CHEMICAL VAPORS ARE INVOLVED). 2021 International Radon and Vapor Intrusion Symposium, Bethesda, MD, October 11 - 13, 2021.
Impact/Purpose:
There are multiple research needs to improve guidance on vapor intrusion. Nearly all chemical vapor intrusion research has been performed on residential structures, but large nonresidential buildings are also affected. Commercial buildings can overlay the original contaminant release site, which can be fundamentally different from the more typical dilute/dissolved groundwater sourced vapor intrusion into homes. Research on cost-effective methods for assessing and mitigating large commercial and multi-unit residential buildings is needed. This research will help document the source of and possible control of VI exposures. Through research in this output, SHC, in conjunction with EPA program and regional offices, will identify and gain access to a large building that is experiencing VI.
Description:
For buildings overlying chlorinated-chemical Vapor Intrusion (cVI) sources, we compared cost-effectiveness of: 1) Quantitatively-confident documentation of each building’s indoor cVI concentrations/exposures, focused on the majority of exposure, i.e., from infrequent high concentrations in skewed distributions; 2) Continuous measurements of Indicators/Tracers of soil gas intrusion in each building (e.g., by Citizen Scientists/occupants) that could indicate a ‘complete’ exposure pathway to near-building soil-gas/cVI; And deciding to qualitatively exclude ‘all’ soil gas from the indoor air in these buildings. The challenges of confidently quantifying the distribution of indoor concentrations/exposure in even single existing buildings will be highlighted in evidence from 12 buildings/zones from across the US, and one site with hundreds of homes. The relationships for cVI Indicators/Tracers will also be shown. This analysis could show the economic and public-health benefits of assessing qualitatively-complete soil-gas/cVI exposure pathways, and evidence-based decisions to prevent ‘all’ soil gas intrusion, producing more EPA-certifiable Soil Gas Safe Communities.
