Environmental contamination.
Scenario: You are the corporate environmental health and safety manager for an industrial company; the executive committee is seeking to purchase a site to be used for warehouse/distribution purposes. The Phase I search of historical records show that the site previously contained a gas station. A small stream runs across the property, and there is a mound in the middle of the property that looks out of place. You have been asked to outline a Phase II assessment for the site.
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In a table, list the potential issues and the specific concerns to be assessed with the former gas station that you recommend be covered in the Phase II assessment.
In addition to the table, include a report that includes the following components.
Describe the analysis that you would ask a laboratory to perform on the soil and groundwater samples taken near the underground storage tanks.
Discuss how you would propose to evaluate the mound at the back of the property to identify if there is environmental contamination.
Sample Solution
In a Phase II assessment of the site that was formerly a gas station, it is important to assess potential issues and specific concerns associated with contamination from the previous activities. The following table outlines these potential issues and the specific concerns for assessment:
Potential Issue Specific Concerns
Contamination from underground storage tanks • Soil & groundwater samples near underground storage tanks; analysis should include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, dissolved inorganics & pesticides.
Contamination from spills or leaks • Soil & groundwater samples near areas where spills or leaks may have occurred; analysis should include VOCs, SVOCs, petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, dissolved inorganics & pesticides.
Mound at back of property • Visual inspection to assess construction materials used
A laboratory analysis should be performed on soil and groundwater samples taken near the underground storage tanks to assess the impact of historical activities on environmental quality. Sample collection locations should be identified based on historic information about tank installations and other related operations. Samples collected would be analyzed for a range of parameters including volatiles such as benzene-toluene-ethylbenzene-xylene (BTEX) compounds along with semi-volatiles such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Further analyses should also include petroleum hydrocarbons, metals (including lead) and any other contaminants suspected to be present due to past activities at the site. In addition to chemical analysis of sample matrices collected for concentration values comparison against regulatory standards/guidelines will need to be conducted in order determine risk posed by chemical contaminants present in these matrices and their respective source areas(eg., soils versus ground water).
The mound at the back of the property needs further evaluation to identify if there is environmental contamination present due to prior use or activities that took place onsite before purchase by current owner/user . Visual inspection can provide initial indication concerning whether this area is likely impacted by hazardous substances like spilled fuel or chemicals used during operations of former gas station activity . Any potential sources causing hazardous substance emissions need identification so further investigation for chemical concentrations across multiple sample matrices can occur , which includes soil profile sampling along with surface water /groundwater sampling . If significant impacts are found during subsequent investigations then mitigation strategies might need implemented depending upon extent/severity contamination impacts .