Improved Method for Petroleum Hydrocarbons in Solids

By Mark Hugdahl, Technical Director, ALS Environmental – Canada

Beginning April 1, 2013, the ALS Environmental laboratory in Winnipeg will begin the use of a new and improved analysis method for Petroleum Hydrocarbons in soils and other solids. The Microscale Solvent Extraction (MSE) Technique has been used successfully at other ALS Canada laboratories for almost five years and is now available at ALS Winnipeg as a CALA accredited test procedure.

The MSE method, also known as the “Tumbler” extraction technique, will be used for the analysis of CCME Petroleum Hydrocarbon fractions (F2-F4G) in soils, sediments, sludges, and wastes. The method has been demonstrated to meet all regulatory requirements specified by CCME and all provincial jurisdictions where ALS Canada operates.

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PAH Analysis: Expanded Compounds of Concern and Advancements

By Lee Wolf, Regulatory Affairs Manager, ALS Environmental – USA

As a class of organic compounds, PAHs are characterized by bonded aromatic rings that do not typically carry other functional groups or branched groups substituted for hydrogen atoms. PAHs occur in fossil fuel materials such as oil, coal, tar and fuels. They are produced as a result of fuel burning. They are also found in products such as burned tobacco, incense, and some plant-based oils. To further understand the sources of PAHs, they may be classified as follows:

• Petrogenic – These are PAHs derived from petroleum inputs and generally associated with fossil fuels.
• Pyrogenic – These are PAHs which are derived from combustion sources.
• Biogenic – These are PAHs formed from natural biological processes.

The toxicity of PAHs is dependent upon the structure or arrangement of aromatic rings. For example, the toxicity of some PAH isomers (with the same formula and number of rings) can vary from being effectively nontoxic to being very toxic. The more toxic or carcinogenic PAHs may be small or large. The USEPA has identified seven PAH compounds as probable human carcinogens.

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Theoretical Gypsum Requirement (TGR) Models

By John Ashworth,  ALS Environmental – Canada

Gypsum is often applied as an amendment to soils that exhibit a high sodium adsorption ratio (SAR).  The addition of gypsum can reduce a soil’s clay plasticity, thus improving drainage and ease of cultivation. Estimating the correct amount of gypsum required to remediate a particular site is an inexact science requiring experience and consideration of specific site history and conditions, but models described in the literature can produce theoretical estimates to provide guidance.  As a service to our clients, ALS now offers two theoretical calculations for gypsum requirement that are suited to two common categories of salt-impacted soil on the Canadian prairies.

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Ammonia: All You’ve Ever Wanted To Know

By Mark Hugdahl, Technical Director,  ALS Environmental – Canada

The synthetic production of ammonia by the Haber-Bosch process has been called the most important invention of the 20th century. Fritz Haber received the Nobel prize in 1919 for pioneering the “fixation” of nitrogen, where nitrogen gas is converted to ammonia, a reactive form of nitrogen that can easily be taken up by plants. Nitrogen from synthetic fertilizers now provides more than half of the nutrients required by the world’s crops. Without the ammonia produced from the Haber-Bosch process, our planet could not feed seven billion people.

Ammonia plays a key role in the global nitrogen cycle, and is produced naturally through the decomposition of nitrogen-rich organic matter. However, it is also a very common environmental pollutant, and in 1990 was listed as the top priority on Environment Canada’s Canadian Chemical Spill Priority List. Outside the fertilizer industry, anthropogenic point sources of ammonia include the textile industry, household chemicals, explosives, the plastics industry, oil refineries, iron and steel mills, meat processing plants, and sewage treatment plants.

At low levels, ammonia in drinking water is not considered toxic to humans. It is produced naturally in the human body, and is efficiently targeted and detoxified by specific enzymes. However, ammonia is highly toxic to fish and amphibians at very low concentrations, since they lack these enzymes.

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Allowable Levels Established for DEHP in Bottled Water

In April 2012, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will begin regulating the level of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) in bottled water. Manufacturers will be required to annually monitor their finished bottled water products and source water for DEHP in order to maintain compliance with current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) regulations.

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Vapor Intrusion Investigations: Air Sampling Tips for Meeting Data Quality Objectives

N. Dagnillo₁, L. Hill₂, A. Fortune₃, A. Smith₄, and S. Thompson₂
¹Trihydro Corporation, 3001 E. Pershing Blvd, Suite 115, Cheyenne, WY 82007
²Trihydro Corporation, 1537 Riverside Ave., Suite 101, Fort Collins, CO 80524
³Columbia Analytical Services, Inc., 2655 Park Center Drive, Suite A, Simi Valley, CA 93065
⁴Trihydro Corporation, 9460 Calle Milano, Atascadero, CA 93422

Vapor intrusion is a fate and transport process characterized by the upward movement of volatile chemicals from subsurface contamination (e.g., buried waste, contaminated groundwater) into overlying buildings. The potential for adverse human health effects from exposure to indoor air vapors has motivated private, state, and federal entities to develop guidance documents and protocols specific to the collection and analysis of soil vapor data.

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Incremental Sampling Methodology

Incremental Sampling Methodology (ISM) is a technique designed to statistically reduce or limit variability associated with discrete sampling. It provides unbiased, representative and reproducible estimates of the mean concentration of analytes in a specific area of interest, called a “decision unit.”

Interest in (ISM) has grown in recent years largely because the approach, when applied correctly, can significantly reduce sampling uncertainty. This in turn can increase the probability that sample data is more representative of average site conditions at hazardous waste sites, thereby strengthening decision making at the site.

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