Last week, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released two technical guides related to vapor intrusion assessment and mitigation activities:
- The Technical Guide for Assessing and Mitigating the Vapor Intrusion Pathway from Subsurface Vapor Sources to Indoor Air, which applies to sites being evaluated under federal land cleanup statutes; and
- A companion document, the Technical Guide for Addressing Petroleum Vapor Intrusion at Leaking Underground Storage Tank Sites.
Vapor intrusion, the migration of potentially hazardous vapors from contaminated subsurface sources such as groundwater through soil into overlying building and structures, is an emerging issue in assessment of the environmental condition of properties. According to Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, “These guides will promote national consistency in assessing and addressing the vapor intrusion human exposure pathway at contaminated sites to protect human health — particularly the most vulnerable.” These guides include the EPA’s latest recommendations for identifying, evaluating and managing vapor intrusion.
For more information, visit EPA’s vapor intrusion website.
