Quantitation by Portable Gas Chromatography: Mass Spectrometry of VOCs Associated with Vapor Intrusion

Fair, Justin D.; Bailey, William F.; Felty, Robert A.; Gifford, Amy; Shultes, Benjamin; Volles, Leslie H

doi:10.1155/2010/278078

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Recently, the portable GC-MS has been used widely in different applications for VOCs/SVOCs detections, including analysing VOCs/SVOCs in indoor air samples (Hopler, 2012;Leary et al, 2016;Barnes et al, 2004;Shakoor et al, 1997;Fair et al, 2010;Gorder and Dettenmaier, 2011). Unlike conventional benchtop GC-MS systems, which are normally coupled with sample concentrating equipment using thermal desorption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of portable gas chromatography–mass spectrometer for rapid field based determination of TCE in soil vapour and groundwater

Wang

Cheng

Naidu

et al. 2021

Environmental Technology & Innovation

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of portable gas chromatography–mass spectrometer for rapid field based determination of TCE in soil vapour and groundwater

Wang

Cheng

Naidu

et al. 2021

Environmental Technology & Innovation

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“…Innovative site investigation techniques can be used to distinguish the background sources from VI (Table ). Portable GC-MS or GC has been successfully used for identifying potential indoor background sources or vapor entry points. ,,,, Another applicable method is building pressure cycling (BPC) which involves manipulation of indoor-outdoor pressure conditions to either induce or suppress VI. ,, Under positive indoor pressure, subsurface VI is minimized and indoor air sampling can be used to characterize the background sources of VI. , A combination of portable GC-MS and BPC has been successfully used to identify indoor background sources at several sites. ,, CSIA has been used to distinguish between background sources and VI. ,, Isotope signatures of VOCs may change over time due to fractionation effects associated with biodegradation or physical processes (e.g., diffusion, volatilization, sorption, and dissolution) . The differences in isotope signatures between subsurface sources and indoor-relevant products can be used to identify the origin of indoor VOCs. ,, CSIA analysis needs a relatively large amount of analyte (e.g., > 1 ng of C), but VOC concentrations in indoor air are relatively low (∼μg/m 3 ).…”

Section: Challenges In Vapor Intrusion Investigation and Decision Makingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vapor Intrusion Investigations and Decision-Making: A Critical Review

McHugh

Beckley

et al. 2020

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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At sites impacted by volatile organic compounds (VOCs), vapor intrusion (VI) is the pathway with the greatest potential to result in actual human exposure. Since sites with VI were first widely publicized in late 1990s, the scientific understanding of VI has evolved considerably. The VI conceptual model has been extended beyond relatively simple scenarios to include nuances, such as biological and hydrogeological factors that may limit the potential for VI and alternative pathways, such as preferential pathways and direct building contact/infiltration that may enhance VI in some cases. Regulatory guidance documents typically recommend initial concentration-or distance-based screening to evaluate whether VI may be a concern, followed by a multiple-lines-of-evidence (MLE) investigation approach for sites that do not screen out. These recommendations for detailed evaluation of VI currently focus on monitoring of VOC concentrations in groundwater, soil gas, and indoor air and can be supplemented by other lines of evidence. In this Critical Review, we summarize key elements important to VI site characterization, provide the status and current understanding, and highlight data interpretation challenges, as well as innovative tools developed to help overcome the challenges. Although there have been significant advances in the understanding of VI in the past 20 years, limitations and knowledge gaps in screening, investigation methods, and modeling approaches still exist. Potential areas for further research include improved initial screening methods that account for the site-specific role of barriers, improved understanding of preferential pathways, and systematic study of buildings and infrastructure other than single-family residences.

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“…In this study, instead of employing typical laboratory analytical procedures, such as USEPA Methods TO-14 and TO-15 (Compendium Method TO-15, 1997;Method-14, 1999), a portable gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC/MS) was used to determine VOCs in the field. The analysis of VOCs and SVOCs in indoor and outdoor air samples has been extensively used by portable GC/MS in a variety of applications (Shakoor et al, 1997;Barnes et al, 2004;Fair et al, 2010;Gorder and Dettenmaier, 2011;Hopler, 2012;Leary et al, 2016) and the instrument can approach detection limits that satisfy criteria required by environmental protection authorities (EPA). With the fast infield sample preparation and pre-concentration processes, such as employing the solid-phase micro-extraction (SPME) approach to sample conditioning, studies have demonstrated that the portable GC/MS instrument is reliable for rapid in-field quantitative analysis of VOCs for contaminated site vapour intrusion assessment (Hook et al, 2002;Wang et al, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid In-Field Approaches for Delineating VOC in Both Soil Vapour and Groundwater for Vapour Intrusion Assessment

Wang

Cheng

Naidu

et al. 2021

Front. Environ. Sci.

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Traditional contaminated site characterisation approaches are time-consuming, labour-intensive, and demand a high level of expertise. This case study provides a rapid field-based solution to investigating a VOC contaminated site and its vapour incursion by combining soil vapour and groundwater survey. To fully assess the volatile organic compound (VOC) distribution in a contaminated site, a number of self-developed soil vapour sampling probes (SVSPs) were placed vertically at different locations in a grid with different depths. Hence, 3D subsurface contour maps for VOC concentrations in soil vapour can be obtained and used to help identify hot spots and the migration patterns of VOCs. This SVSP is “easy-to-install” in the field and a cost-effective solution for rapid assessment of soil vapour samples. The SVSPs can be installed both vertically and horizontally. If there is a requirement to take soil vapour samples beneath an existing building from a potential contamination source zone, SVSPs can be horizontally installed beneath the building without compromising its structural integrity. In addition, to ascertain the correct groundwater channels that are likely to carry contaminants from a potential source zone, an electrical resistivity tomography technique was employed to provide the preliminary information for groundwater delineation in a complex groundwater channel network.

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Quantitation by Portable Gas Chromatography: Mass Spectrometry of VOCs Associated with Vapor Intrusion

Cited by 13 publications

References 20 publications

Application of portable gas chromatography–mass spectrometer for rapid field based determination of TCE in soil vapour and groundwater

Application of portable gas chromatography–mass spectrometer for rapid field based determination of TCE in soil vapour and groundwater

Vapor Intrusion Investigations and Decision-Making: A Critical Review

Rapid In-Field Approaches for Delineating VOC in Both Soil Vapour and Groundwater for Vapour Intrusion Assessment

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