Evaluation of Vapor Intrusion Risk from Ethylene Dibromide Using the Vertical Screening Distance Approach

Vapor intrusion (VI) occurs when volatile contaminants in the subsurface migrate through the vadose zone into overlying buildings. The 2015 U.S. EPA petroleum VI guidance recommends that additional investigation of the VI risk from gasoline hydrocarbons at the underground storage tank (UST) sites is...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ground water monitoring & remediation 2021-04, Vol.41 (2), p.48-60
Main Authors: Kolhatkar, Ravi V., Luo, Hong (Emma), Berns, Erin C., Gaule, Christopher, Watterson, Joe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerobic biodegradation
Attenuation
Biodegradation
Buildings
Constants
Contaminants
Distance
Ethene
Ethylene
Ethylene dibromide
Evaluation
Gasoline
Groundwater
Hydrocarbons
Intrusion
Loam soils
Petroleum
Rate constants
Residential areas
Residential buildings
Risk analysis
Risk levels
Sand
Sandy soils
Screening
Soil
Soil analysis
Soil contamination
Soil types
Soils
Storage tanks
Underground storage
Underground storage tanks
Vadose water
Vapor sources
Vapors
Vertical separation
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Summary:Vapor intrusion (VI) occurs when volatile contaminants in the subsurface migrate through the vadose zone into overlying buildings. The 2015 U.S. EPA petroleum VI guidance recommends that additional investigation of the VI risk from gasoline hydrocarbons at the underground storage tank (UST) sites is not necessary where the vertical distance between a building and a vapor source exceeds a recommended vertical screening distance. However, due to the lack of soil‐gas data on the attenuation of ethylene dibromide (EDB), additional VI investigations to evaluate VI risk from EDB are recommended at UST sites with leaded gasoline releases containing EDB. We analyzed soil‐gas and groundwater concentrations of EDB from eight petroleum UST sites using a new analytical method with soil‐gas detection limit 6 ft (1.8 m) for sites with sand and loam soil above dissolved phase sources and >15 ft (4.6 m) for sites with sand soil above LNAPL sources. This predicted dependence on the vapor source type and soil type in the vadose zone highlights the importance of soil characterization for VI screening at sites with EDB sources.
ISSN:1069-3629
1745-6592
DOI:10.1111/gwmr.12442