Characterizing vapor intrusion scenarios using a computation fluid dynamics (CFD) model

ENVR 103

Ozgur Bozkurt, oz@brown.edu1, Kelly G. Pennell, Kelly_Pennell@brown.edu2, and Eric M. Suuberg, eric_suuberg@brown.edu1. (1) Division of Engineering, Brown University, 182 Hope Street, Box D, Providence, RI 02813, (2) Department of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912
Over the past several decades, there have been numerous fate and transport studies that have been aimed at understanding aqueous phase contamination in groundwater and surface water. However, there is a lack of research directly focused on the unique problem of vapor intrusion, which is of most concern in the vadose zone. Vapor intrusion involves the migration of volatile (and, in some cases, semi-volatile) contaminants present in the subsurface into above-ground structures. The indoor air concentrations at which these chemicals may pose a health risk can be extremely low and, in some cases, on the order of parts-per-trillion. Building on the results of previously published three-dimensional vapor intrusion models, this paper uses a numerical representation of the vapor intrusion problem to evaluate various factors that are important in characterizing the human health risks posed by vapor intrusion.
 

Environmental Contaminants: Low-Level and Complex Mixtures
1:30 PM-4:50 PM, Wednesday, August 22, 2007 Boston Park Plaza -- Stanbro Rm, Oral

Division of Environmental Chemistry

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007