On-site investigation of contaminated areas - soil-air surveying with Draeger-Tubes{trademark}
- Draegerwerk AG, Luebeck (Germany)
Soil-air (matrix-gas) surveying is an investigative technique that is commonly used to assist remedial investigation where the contaminants of concern include volatile organic compounds e.g. the lighter volatile petroleum hydrocarbons. This method is relatively inexpensive when compared to the cost of obtaining similar data through the collection and chemical analysis of individual soil, sediment and water samples. The soil-gas technique is most effective in mapping low molecular weight, halogenated solvent compounds, and petroleum hydrocarbons possessing high vapor pressures and low aqueous solubilities. These compounds readily partition out of the groundwater in the soil-gas as a result of high gas/liquid partitioning coefficient. Once in the soil-gas, volatile organic compounds diffuse through the soil to the ground surface, where they dissipate into the atmosphere. The concentration of the soil-gas depends on a number of environmental factors such as the soil`s moisture content, buffer capacity, pH, nitrogen and phosphorus content, and the temperature of the surrounding environment. For this reason exact quantitative determination of the toxic substance concentration in the soil is not readily possible in soil-gas analysis, even by laboratory methods. Nevertheless, the soil-gas analysis is very important because it can be used to determine the relative toxic substance concentration very quickly. These concentrations are usually sufficient to locate contamination or to detect the propagation area of a toxic substance. One of the most effective soil-gas sampling and analysis methods is the On-site or Field Screening Method. The {open_quotes}Drager Soil-Air Probe Professional{close_quotes} was modified and specially adapted for detector tube operations as an on-site of field screening instrument to analyze soil-gas.
- OSTI ID:
- 613766
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970113-; TRN: 98:001739-0016
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Field analytical methods for hazardous wastes and toxic chemicals conference, Las Vegas, NV (United States), 29-31 Jan 1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997; Related Information: Is Part Of Field analytical methods for hazardous wastes and toxic chemicals; PB: 909 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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