Occurrence of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a sanitary sewer system: Implications for assessing vapor intrusion alternative pathways

Mohammadyousef Roghani; Olivia P. Jacobs; Anthony Miller; Evan J. Willett; James A. Jacobs; C. Ricardo Viteri; Elham Shirazi; Kelly G. Pennell

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.205

Occurrence of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a sanitary sewer system: Implications for assessing vapor intrusion alternative pathways

Mohammadyousef Roghani, Olivia P. Jacobs, Anthony Miller, Evan J. Willett, James A. Jacobs, C. Ricardo Viteri, Elham Shirazi, Kelly G. Pennell

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

16 Scopus citations

Abstract

Sewer systems have been recently recognized as potentially important exposure pathways to consider during vapor intrusion assessments; however, this pathway has not been well-characterized and there is need for additional information about the occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in sewer systems. This paper reports the results of sewer gas sampling conducted in a sanitary sewer over the years of 2014–2017. Sewer gas samples were collected and analyzed using several different techniques, including TO-15 (grab), TO-17 (passive), Radiello® (passive) and a novel continuous monitoring technique, the Autonomous Rugged Optical Multigas Analyzer (AROMA). The applicability of each of the different approaches used in this study is discussed in the context of investigating sanitary sewers as a vapor intrusion alternative pathway. The data confirmed that trichloroethylene (TCE) concentrations in sewer gas were detected adjacent to and extending hundreds of feet away from a previously defined vapor intrusion area, where TCE was a primary contaminant. TCE concentrations detected in sewer gas ranged from non-detect to 1600 μg/m ³ . Temporal variability was observed in TCE concentrations over timescales that ranged from minutes to months to years at discrete sampling locations. Spatial variability in sewer gas concentrations was also observed throughout the study area. Temporal and spatial variability may be caused by groundwater contamination sources in the study area, as well as sewer gas transport mechanisms.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1149-1162
Number of pages	14
Journal	Science of the Total Environment
Volume	616-617
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.205
State	Published - Mar 2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors thank Alana Lee of EPA Region 9. The authors also acknowledge the EPA Region 9 Laboratory for analysis of TO-15 samples, Radiello® samples and sewer liquid samples. In addition, the authors thank Michael Armen and Bruce Richman of Entanglement Technologies for their contributions to the development and construction of the AROMA-TCE analyzer. The project described was supported by a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (Award # 1452800 ), a SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation ( IIP-1215518 ), Grant Number P42ES007380 ( University of Kentucky Superfund Research Program), and by NIH Grant Number 2R44ES022538 (Entanglement SBIR Superfund Research Program) from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. IIP-1330903 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation.

Funding Information:
The authors thank Alana Lee of EPA Region 9. The authors also acknowledge the EPA Region 9 Laboratory for analysis of TO-15 samples, Radiello? samples and sewer liquid samples. In addition, the authors thank Michael Armen and Bruce Richman of Entanglement Technologies for their contributions to the development and construction of the AROMA-TCE analyzer. The project described was supported by a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (Award #1452800), a SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation (IIP-1215518), Grant Number P42ES007380 (University of Kentucky Superfund Research Program), and by NIH Grant Number 2R44ES022538 (Entanglement SBIR Superfund Research Program) from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. IIP-1330903. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

Sampling methods
Sewer systems
Trichloroethylene
Vapor intrusion

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Environmental Engineering
Environmental Chemistry
Waste Management and Disposal
Pollution

Access to Document

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.205

Cite this

Roghani, M., Jacobs, O. P., Miller, A., Willett, E. J., Jacobs, J. A., Viteri, C. R., Shirazi, E., & Pennell, K. G. (2018). Occurrence of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a sanitary sewer system: Implications for assessing vapor intrusion alternative pathways. Science of the Total Environment, 616-617, 1149-1162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.205

@article{d4de95d1b94845dab1797d13078e079c,

title = "Occurrence of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a sanitary sewer system: Implications for assessing vapor intrusion alternative pathways",

abstract = " Sewer systems have been recently recognized as potentially important exposure pathways to consider during vapor intrusion assessments; however, this pathway has not been well-characterized and there is need for additional information about the occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in sewer systems. This paper reports the results of sewer gas sampling conducted in a sanitary sewer over the years of 2014–2017. Sewer gas samples were collected and analyzed using several different techniques, including TO-15 (grab), TO-17 (passive), Radiello{\textregistered} (passive) and a novel continuous monitoring technique, the Autonomous Rugged Optical Multigas Analyzer (AROMA). The applicability of each of the different approaches used in this study is discussed in the context of investigating sanitary sewers as a vapor intrusion alternative pathway. The data confirmed that trichloroethylene (TCE) concentrations in sewer gas were detected adjacent to and extending hundreds of feet away from a previously defined vapor intrusion area, where TCE was a primary contaminant. TCE concentrations detected in sewer gas ranged from non-detect to 1600 μg/m 3 . Temporal variability was observed in TCE concentrations over timescales that ranged from minutes to months to years at discrete sampling locations. Spatial variability in sewer gas concentrations was also observed throughout the study area. Temporal and spatial variability may be caused by groundwater contamination sources in the study area, as well as sewer gas transport mechanisms.",

keywords = "Sampling methods, Sewer systems, Trichloroethylene, Vapor intrusion",

author = "Mohammadyousef Roghani and Jacobs, {Olivia P.} and Anthony Miller and Willett, {Evan J.} and Jacobs, {James A.} and Viteri, {C. Ricardo} and Elham Shirazi and Pennell, {Kelly G.}",

note = "Funding Information: The authors thank Alana Lee of EPA Region 9. The authors also acknowledge the EPA Region 9 Laboratory for analysis of TO-15 samples, Radiello{\textregistered} samples and sewer liquid samples. In addition, the authors thank Michael Armen and Bruce Richman of Entanglement Technologies for their contributions to the development and construction of the AROMA-TCE analyzer. The project described was supported by a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (Award # 1452800 ), a SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation ( IIP-1215518 ), Grant Number P42ES007380 ( University of Kentucky Superfund Research Program), and by NIH Grant Number 2R44ES022538 (Entanglement SBIR Superfund Research Program) from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. IIP-1330903 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation. Funding Information: The authors thank Alana Lee of EPA Region 9. The authors also acknowledge the EPA Region 9 Laboratory for analysis of TO-15 samples, Radiello? samples and sewer liquid samples. In addition, the authors thank Michael Armen and Bruce Richman of Entanglement Technologies for their contributions to the development and construction of the AROMA-TCE analyzer. The project described was supported by a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (Award #1452800), a SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation (IIP-1215518), Grant Number P42ES007380 (University of Kentucky Superfund Research Program), and by NIH Grant Number 2R44ES022538 (Entanglement SBIR Superfund Research Program) from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. IIP-1330903. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 Elsevier B.V.",

year = "2018",

month = mar,

doi = "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.205",

language = "English",

volume = "616-617",

pages = "1149--1162",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Occurrence of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a sanitary sewer system

T2 - Implications for assessing vapor intrusion alternative pathways

AU - Roghani, Mohammadyousef

AU - Jacobs, Olivia P.

AU - Miller, Anthony

AU - Willett, Evan J.

AU - Jacobs, James A.

AU - Viteri, C. Ricardo

AU - Shirazi, Elham

AU - Pennell, Kelly G.

N1 - Funding Information: The authors thank Alana Lee of EPA Region 9. The authors also acknowledge the EPA Region 9 Laboratory for analysis of TO-15 samples, Radiello® samples and sewer liquid samples. In addition, the authors thank Michael Armen and Bruce Richman of Entanglement Technologies for their contributions to the development and construction of the AROMA-TCE analyzer. The project described was supported by a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (Award # 1452800 ), a SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation ( IIP-1215518 ), Grant Number P42ES007380 ( University of Kentucky Superfund Research Program), and by NIH Grant Number 2R44ES022538 (Entanglement SBIR Superfund Research Program) from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. IIP-1330903 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation. Funding Information: The authors thank Alana Lee of EPA Region 9. The authors also acknowledge the EPA Region 9 Laboratory for analysis of TO-15 samples, Radiello? samples and sewer liquid samples. In addition, the authors thank Michael Armen and Bruce Richman of Entanglement Technologies for their contributions to the development and construction of the AROMA-TCE analyzer. The project described was supported by a CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation (Award #1452800), a SBIR grant from the National Science Foundation (IIP-1215518), Grant Number P42ES007380 (University of Kentucky Superfund Research Program), and by NIH Grant Number 2R44ES022538 (Entanglement SBIR Superfund Research Program) from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This material is based upon work supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. IIP-1330903. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Institutes of Health or the National Science Foundation. Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2018/3

Y1 - 2018/3

N2 - Sewer systems have been recently recognized as potentially important exposure pathways to consider during vapor intrusion assessments; however, this pathway has not been well-characterized and there is need for additional information about the occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in sewer systems. This paper reports the results of sewer gas sampling conducted in a sanitary sewer over the years of 2014–2017. Sewer gas samples were collected and analyzed using several different techniques, including TO-15 (grab), TO-17 (passive), Radiello® (passive) and a novel continuous monitoring technique, the Autonomous Rugged Optical Multigas Analyzer (AROMA). The applicability of each of the different approaches used in this study is discussed in the context of investigating sanitary sewers as a vapor intrusion alternative pathway. The data confirmed that trichloroethylene (TCE) concentrations in sewer gas were detected adjacent to and extending hundreds of feet away from a previously defined vapor intrusion area, where TCE was a primary contaminant. TCE concentrations detected in sewer gas ranged from non-detect to 1600 μg/m 3 . Temporal variability was observed in TCE concentrations over timescales that ranged from minutes to months to years at discrete sampling locations. Spatial variability in sewer gas concentrations was also observed throughout the study area. Temporal and spatial variability may be caused by groundwater contamination sources in the study area, as well as sewer gas transport mechanisms.

AB - Sewer systems have been recently recognized as potentially important exposure pathways to consider during vapor intrusion assessments; however, this pathway has not been well-characterized and there is need for additional information about the occurrence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in sewer systems. This paper reports the results of sewer gas sampling conducted in a sanitary sewer over the years of 2014–2017. Sewer gas samples were collected and analyzed using several different techniques, including TO-15 (grab), TO-17 (passive), Radiello® (passive) and a novel continuous monitoring technique, the Autonomous Rugged Optical Multigas Analyzer (AROMA). The applicability of each of the different approaches used in this study is discussed in the context of investigating sanitary sewers as a vapor intrusion alternative pathway. The data confirmed that trichloroethylene (TCE) concentrations in sewer gas were detected adjacent to and extending hundreds of feet away from a previously defined vapor intrusion area, where TCE was a primary contaminant. TCE concentrations detected in sewer gas ranged from non-detect to 1600 μg/m 3 . Temporal variability was observed in TCE concentrations over timescales that ranged from minutes to months to years at discrete sampling locations. Spatial variability in sewer gas concentrations was also observed throughout the study area. Temporal and spatial variability may be caused by groundwater contamination sources in the study area, as well as sewer gas transport mechanisms.

KW - Sampling methods

KW - Sewer systems

KW - Trichloroethylene

KW - Vapor intrusion

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85035101282&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85035101282&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.205

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.10.205

M3 - Article

C2 - 29146079

AN - SCOPUS:85035101282

SN - 0048-9697

VL - 616-617

SP - 1149

EP - 1162

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

ER -

Occurrence of chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a sanitary sewer system: Implications for assessing vapor intrusion alternative pathways

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this