A Professional Development Course (PDC) entitled “Tools of the Trade — Vapor Intrusion Investigation for the Industrial Hygienist” was recently co-taught by Alyson Fortune of Columbia Analytical at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Exhibition (AIHce), May 31-June 5, 2008 in Minneapolis, Minn. The all day interactive training course was presented by Alyson Fortune, Bharti Ujjani, CIH and Peter Granholm, CIH, PG along with Helen Dawson, PhD. from USEPA Region Eight.

Ms. Fortune taught the air sampling, laboratory analysis, and data evaluation section of the PDC. This section compared and contrasted the available air sampling media options for vapor intrusion, described in detail the concept of using helium as a leak testing tracer for soil gas sampling, and showed an example of a typical air laboratory report, which pointed out key features consultants should examine when reviewing vapor intrusion data.

In its first year, the Vapor Intrusion PDC was sold out and ranked in the top 25% of all PDCs. AIHce is a premier annual event for thousands of practicing industrial hygiene and environmental health & safety professionals.

Ms. Fortune is an Air Quality Scientist with Columbia Analytical in Simi Valley, Calif.

Columbia Analytical Services, Inc. (CAS) is excited to announce the availability of an Air Petroleum Hydrocarbon (APH) method for indoor air, ambient air, sub-slab, and soil vapor analysis via a method by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP).

Originally written for application at Massachusetts hazardous waste cleanup sites, the APH method can be applied at any site nationwide where petroleum products are potentially impacting indoor or ambient air quality. This method was designed to complement and support the toxicological approach developed to evaluate human health hazards that may result from exposure to petroleum hydrocarbons.

In February 2000, MADEP published the first draft of the APH method (http://www.mass.gov/dep/Image/aphsop01.doc). This same draft document is still in use today. “CAS had the honor of being one of the four original laboratories to contribute to the study, and we continue to work closely with MADEP Bureau of Waste Site Cleanup Indoor Air Workgroup and the ASTM Vapor Intrusion Task Group,” stated Alyson Fortune, CAS’ Air Quality Scientist.

CAS is a certified, full service chemical and biological analytical laboratory that has successfully served clients in all 50 states and around the globe. The CAS network is comprised of eight laboratories in Arizona, California, Florida, New York, Texas and Washington. “Specifically, CAS Air Quality Laboratory, which has over 2000 canisters in our inventory and nearly 20 years experience, specializes in the analysis of volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, sulfur compounds and other hazardous substances in a wide variety of air and vapor matrices,” said Fortune.

For more information about the MADEP APH method, please contact Alyson Fortune at (978) 501-2735, or call the CAS Air Quality Laboratory at (805) 526-7161.