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

Abstract

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.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA495527

Entities

People

  • Jack Istok
  • Lewis Semprini

Organizations

  • Oregon State University

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aromatic Hydrocarbons
  • Contamination
  • Cost Analysis
  • Data Analysis
  • Department Of Defense
  • Dynamic Tests
  • Field Tests
  • Groundwater
  • Hydrocarbons
  • Monitoring
  • Organic Compounds
  • Performance Tests
  • Pull Tests
  • Static Tests
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Test Methods
  • Volatile Organic Compounds

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Groundwater Contamination Remediation.