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Vapor intrusion can become a concern in any home or building.
When it comes to human exposure to pollutants, regulators have traditionally been most concerned with contaminated soil and water – but polluted air caused by vapor intrusion is fast becoming a major cleanup issue, experts say.
According to the Interstate Technology and Regulatory Council, polluted ground and water have been around for centuries, while vapor intrusion entered the public debate about two decades ago, making it the new kid on the block.
New guidelines, issued in 2010 by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, describe how to investigate and prevent vapors from entering homes or buildings.
Health effects of vapor intrusion
Regulators are becoming concerned about the health effects that potential vapor intrusion issues can cause in building occupants. Many chemicals and solvents have been linked to cancer and other serious health effects.
The EPA is still working on its own guidelines.
Well-known vapor intrusion offenders include dry cleaners. When dry cleaning operations contaminated the ground underneath their business with perchloroethylene (perc), the dry cleaning fluid, the chemical could often be detected in adjacent homes or buildings, having entered through cracks or opening in the foundation or building envelope.
Other solvents and chemical substances can become vapor intrusion concerns, including 1,1 dichloroethene and trichloroethene which were used in industrial applications.
Consultants and industrial hygienist often recommend indoor air mitigation systems similar to those used for radon to reduce risks of exposure.
Source: Sheboygan Press
Air cleaners for the removal of chemicals, gases and fumes
Electrocorp works with environmental consultants to provide industrial air cleaning solutions for facilities and residential dwellings affected by vapor intrusion.
Contact an Electrocorp air quality representative today for more information on vapor intrusion and our advanced activated carbon filtration systems designed to safely remove chemicals, gases, fumes and odors.
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Vapor intrusion is a serious health hazard, experts warn.
The U.S. Army, activists and regulators seem unable to agree on who should clean up a TCE plume underneath Orion Park just outside Moffett Field.
The site contains a former housing complex where contaminants have been found in the groundwater as well as in the indoor air of the homes.
The Army says it’s not responsible for the cleanup based on their own site investigation, which found no on-site source of the toxins. They say it must be someone else’s responsibility.
However, the EPA and other experts are not convinced by the report and demand a cleanup by the Army. Even the Department of Defense has ordered the Army to take action on Orion Park’s environmental condition.
What is TCE and how does it affect people’s health?
TCE stands for Trichloroethylene, a carcinogenic solvent that was used by the nearby defense department and computer industry operations, which leaked into the ground.
In underground plumes, TCE becomes an enormous health hazard when fumes enter buildings or homes through a process called vapor intrusion, taking advantage of tiny cracks and fissures in the foundation.
Inside homes, it can build up to dangerous levels.
According to the EPA, TCE is carcinogenic to humans by all routes of exposure and it can cause a wide range of health effects, including neurological, immunological, reproductive and developmental effects.
Off-site and on-site sources of pollution possible
There is acknowledgment that part of Orion Park’s toxics came from nearby plumes that were being cleaned up by the Navy and tech companies, but the EPA says the Army’s claim of no on-site sources was not substantiated.
Meanwhile, the area in question now houses a new Army reserve and command post with buildings that have vapor barriers and ventilation systems installed to help prevent soldiers’ exposure to TCE vapors.
In the long run, it is cheaper to clean up the toxic rather than to maintain vapor intrusion barriers and special ventilation systems in buildings.
The negotiations between parties are ongoing.
Activated carbon can remove gaseous contaminants such as TCE vapors.
Source: Mountain View Voice
Provide healthy indoor air with air cleaners
Activated carbon is one of the most effective and affordable filtration media when it comes to TCE, or trichloroethylene.
With a carbon efficiency rating of 4 for TCE (the highest rating meaning a high capacity for adsorption of the vapors), an air cleaner with many pounds of activated carbon can help remove TVE vapors in indoor environments.
Electrocorp works with environmental consultants and experts to supply portable and powerful air cleaners with activated carbon and HEPA technologies for commercial and industrial applications.
Contact Electrocorp for more information and options.
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The air in buildings can suffer if the soil underneath is contaminated.
Working in the city of Orange just got more dangerous.
Soil testing shows that the ground underneath one building is contaminated with a toxic chemical – now the OC Employees Association is asking for the evacuation of the building and an adjacent building for fear of toxic air at the workplace.
The tests revealed the presence of the industrial chemical and solvent perchloroethylene (also known as perc) in the soil five and 10 feet below ground. Additional tests are planned.
The levels met EPA guidelines, but the level at 10 feet exceeded the California Human Health Screening Levels.
What is perchloroethylene?
According to the EPA, perc is a colorless, nonflammable liquid. It does not occur naturally but is produced in large amounts (310 million pounds in 1991) by three companies in the United States.
The largest US user of perc is the dry cleaning industry.
Textile mills, chlorofluorocarbon producers, vapor degreasing and metal cleaning operations, and makers of rubber coatings also use perc.
It can be added to aerosol formulations, solvent soaps, printing inks, adhesives, sealants, polishes, lubricants, and silicones. Typewriter correction fluid and shoe polish are among the consumer products that can contain perc.
People are exposed to perc when they breathe in the gases. Once in the body perc can remain, stored in fat tissue.
Health effects of perc
While human health effects depend on the individual, the amount of perc and the time frame of exposure, the chemical has been linked to health problems such as
Exposure to perc can cause cancer, experts say.
- Liver and kidney damage
- Memory loss
- Confusion
- Cancer
Employees in the affected building are worried about their health and safety and have been calling and e-mailing to voice their concerns, the union says.
Source: Los Angeles Times
Keep indoor air safe inside buildings
Airborne chemicals and gases like perchloroethylene, formaldehyde and other substances are not only harmful to human health, they can also become a liability issue for the employer.
Along with sensible health and safety precautions, source control and ventilation, an industrial-strength air cleaner can help keep the indoor air pollution to a minimum.
Electrocorp’s air cleaners feature a large activated carbon filter, HEPA and optional UV filtration to remove the widest range of indoor air contaminants.
Contact Electrocorp for more information and suggestions.
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Vapor intrusion can happen in any home.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned last week that 10 homes in the Phoenix area of a polluted toxic spill site had concerning levels of chemicals indoors.
The original source of the pollution is a former Motorola plant that accidentally leaked chemicals (including trichloroethylene, or TCE) from industrial solvents into the ground in the 1980s.
TCE is a known carcinogen and scientists say it could be harmful even at relatively low concentrations.
The EPA and others are monitoring the levels of chemicals in the area, but last year, they measured for the first time the ambient air inside nearby homes to check for vapor intrusion.
Vapor intrusion is what happens when chemicals and gases from contaminated groundwater and land enter homes through cracks and fissures in the foundation or building. Once inside the home, they can build up and become an even bigger health hazard.
The homes that measured concerning levels of TCE will be equipped with special machines, which circulate outdoor air inside the home and prevent vapor intrusion by utilizing pressure.
Source: Arizona Republic
Clean the air with portable air cleaners
An industrial-strength air cleaner with many pounds of activated carbon and HEPA as well as other filters can help keep the ambient air clean and prevent a buildup of toxic substances.
Activated carbon is one of the safest and most trusted filter media for the removal of airborne chemicals, gases, fumes and odors (including VOCs such as formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, trichloroethylene and more).
With other filters like HEPA and UV, the air cleaners also remove airborne particles, dust, bacteria, viruses and mold.
Electrocorp offers air cleaners for environmental consultants (to be used in single and double-family homes at certain Superfund sites) as well as air cleaners for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications.
Find out more about our government buyer program as well as selected clients, or contact Electrocorp for more information.
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Living near an oil refinery may expose you to airborne chemicals and gases.
Shell Oil Co. and others have been hit with a steady stream of lawsuits claiming that benzene leaks around the oil refinery caused cancer.
The latest comes from a 28-year-old man who attended school next to the Shell Oil Co. refinery. His complaint states that he suffers from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system (blood cancer).
He is the sixth plaintiff to file a lawsuit against the company, but the only one with non-Hodgkin’s so far – the other plaintiffs had different blood cancers.
In their complaints, the plaintiffs allege that Shell and BP Amoco knew about the dangers of benzene and publicly minimized the risks. They are each asking for damages well above $50,000.
The complaint alleges that Shell has known about the dangers of airborne benzene because of a high incidence of cancer at the Wood River Refinery in the 1970s and soil vapor intrusion studies in the 1980s.
Soil vapor intrusion describes the process of contaminants from soil or groundwater entering a home or building through cracks and fissures in the foundation.
In May 2008, the Illinois EPA cited Shell for violating the Illinois Environmental Protection Act 41 times by exceeding the standards for the release of benzene, ethyl benzene, toluene and xylene into the groundwater of Roxana, the complaint says.
Shell has filed an answer in at least one of the cases. It admits that the company has processed, handled and stored benzene. It admits that benzene has been classified as a human carcinogen “when exposed to it at significant levels over a sufficient period of time.”
However, Shell denies it caused or contributed to injuries and damages, any cover-up or negligence and that it knew of the dangers it allegedly caused. BP has filed a similar answer.
Source: The Telegraph
GAC air scrubbers can remove gaseous pollutants
Electrocorp has designed deep-bed activated carbon + HEPA air cleaners for soil vapor intrusion and environmental concerns, which can adsorb a wide range of gases and chemicals, including benzene, toluene and xylene.
The air cleaners can be equipped with custom carbon blends or impregnated carbon to increase their adsorption capacity, and they are portable and powerful enough to be used in single and multifamily dwellings.
For more information, contact Electrocorp: 1-866-667-0297.
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