Air/Superfund National Technical Guidance Study Series. Air Emissions from AreaSources: Estimating Soil and Soil-Gas Sample Number Requirements

摘要

The document provides guidance regarding the necessary number of soil gas or soilsamples needed to estimate air emissions from area sources. The Manual relies heavily on statistical methods discussed in Appendix C of Volume II of Air/Superfund National Technical Guidance Study Series (EPA 1990) and Chapter 9 of SW-846 (EPA 1986). The techniques in the manual are based on recognizing the inhomgeniety of an area, by observation or screening samples, before samples are taken. Each of the identified zones are then sampled, using random sampling techniques, and statistics calculated separately for each zone before combining the statistics to provide an estimate for the entire area. The statistical techniques presented may also be used to analyze other types of data and provide measures such as mean, variance, and standard deviation. The methods presented in the Manual are based on small sample methods. Application of the methods to data which are appropriately analyzed by large sample methods or to data which is not normally distributed will give erroneous results.