3255 Practical guidance on technologies for field-screening hydrocarbons and associated metals in soil and water

Overview:

A wide variety of field screening technologies exists for assessing contamination of soil and water with hydrocarbons and associated metals. These technologies range in complexity from simple, qualitative indicators through to advanced, quantitative measurements. This document provides practical guidance to field screening technologies for rapidly assessing hydrocarbon and metal contamination in soils and water. The guide is based on currently available techniques, with reference to the
scientific basis, reliability, detection limits and precision of the methods and instruments concerned.

The document outlines how to select an appropriate technique according to circumstances, and how and when this is best deployed. It also explains the limits and restrictions of available technologies and any quality assurance measures that should be put in place to verify field-based data. After introducing the topics covered, the document briefly gives guidance on field sampling and monitoring methods and provides direction to the relevant later parts of the guide. The physical and statistical basis of sampling is described for each medium.

The document describes all field testing and screening methods found in an extensive review of peer reviewed, grey and marketing literature and a person-to-person survey. The methods are categorised into generic classes and a basic overview of operating principles is given. The strategy for selecting an appropriate analytical technique is described, based on the target analytes, estimation of the concentration range, data quality objectives (quantitative or qualitative), the required level of operator expertise, the capabilities and limitations of the screening methods, and cost-benefit factors. Much of the material is presented in tabular form for easy reference.