Fugitive emission monitoring with open-path FTIR at Times Beach Missouri city park

摘要

During the cleanup of dioxin-contaminated soils from the Times Beach, Missouri, Superfund site, workers excavating a trench near the old City Park became nauseous from fumes emanating the excavation ditch. Investigations by US EPA and Missouri Department of Natural Resources found that approximately 12,000 square feet of soil was contaminated by toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes. During the remediation of this site, Open-Path FTIR was used to monitor the perimeter of the excavation and stockpile areas. The air monitoring data was collected and screened on a near real time basis to ensure that off-site workers and the public were protected. This paper outlines the air monitoring procedures used during the project and the difficulties encountered while sampling at the site.