Benzene contamination was detected in water samples from the Ogallala aquifer beneath and adjacent to the Department of Energy's (DOE) Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas. DOE assembled a Technical Assistance Team to evaluate the source of benzene. One of the team's recommendations was to assess whether the sampling equipment material could be a source of benzene and other volatile organic compounds. As part of this investigation, laboratory testing of the sample equipment material was conducted. Results from the laboratory tests indicated that the equipment material did, in fact, contribute volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds to the groundwater samples. Specifically, three materials were identified as contributing contaminants to water samples. The nylon-11 tubing used contributed benzene and the plasticizer N-butylbenzenesulfonamide (NBSA), the urethane-coated nylon well liner contributed toluene and trace amounts of NBSA, while the sampling port "spacer" material made of nylon/polypropylene/polyester-composite contributed trace amounts of toluene and NBSA. While the concentrations of benzene and toluene measured in the laboratory tests are below the concentrations measured in actual groundwater samples, the equipment material was found to contribute organics to the test water rendering the results reported for the groundwater samples highly suspect.
Revised: December 23, 2008 |
Published: July 31, 2004
Citation
Gilmore T.J., A.V. Mitroshkov, P.E. Dresel, and D.S. Sklarew. 2004.Laboratory investigation into the contribution of contaminants to ground water from equipment materials used in sampling.Ground Water Monitoring and Remediation 24, no. 3:88-94.PNNL-SA-45004.