Test Available For Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination In Air
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 (MassDEP).
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, MassDEP 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 MassDEP 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 MassDEP APH method, please contact Alyson Fortune at (978) 501-2735, or call the CAS Air Quality Laboratory at (805) 526-7161.
Tags: Air Petroleum Hydrocarbon, APH, APH method, ASTM, MassDEP
August 4th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Tenant of industrial condo is complaining about fumes from neighboring condo , that is an auto repair shop. Is there a way to test for this?
August 5th, 2009 at 7:38 am
Hello Sam,
The MassDEP APH method could be used to evaluate whether there are indoor impacts that are from gasoline/diesel. You may also wish to conduct a thorough inventory of products used in both the impacted condo and the auto repair shop before sampling–this will help you sort through any potential confounding indoor air sampling results. Also, you may discover a particular non-petroleum product/solvent/etc. that is used by the auto repair shop that may be the odor culprit, and may alter your sampling approach. Feel free to call us if you’d like to discuss further.