Radon-222 as Natural Tracer for Monitoring the Remediation of NAPL Contamination in the Subsurface

摘要

Nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPL), including chlorinated solvents, aromatic hydrocarbons, and other volatile organic compounds (VOC), are common contaminants at Department of Defense (DoD) and other federal and non-federal sites. Residual or pooled NAPL contamination provides a long-term source of contamination as it slowly dissolves into groundwater. A major obstacle preventing cost-effective soil and groundwater cleanup at many DoD sites is the current inability to accurately and inexpensively locate and quantify NAPL contamination. This Cost and Performance Report describes the use of naturally occurring radon-222 (Rn) as a partitioning tracer for locating and quantifying NAPL contamination in the subsurface and for monitoring changes in NAPL quantities resulting from remediation activities.