Applicability and limitations of the radon-deficit technique for the preliminary assessment of sites contaminated with complex mixtures of organic chemicals: A blind field-test
A blind field test with 136 independent measurements of radon (222Rn) in soil air retrieved from a depth of 0.8 m in a decommissioned lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) production plant was undertaken to evaluate the performance of the 222Rn-deficit technique as a screening methodology for the locati...
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doaj-a8cebde4d710440e9695bd90a13d1e262020-11-25T02:52:09ZengElsevierEnvironment International0160-41202020-05-01138Applicability and limitations of the radon-deficit technique for the preliminary assessment of sites contaminated with complex mixtures of organic chemicals: A blind field-testE. De Miguel0F. Barrio-Parra1M. Izquierdo-Díaz2J. Fernández3J.E. García-González4R. Álvarez5Prospecting & Environment Laboratory (PROMEDIAM), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, SpainProspecting & Environment Laboratory (PROMEDIAM), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain; Corresponding author.Prospecting & Environment Laboratory (PROMEDIAM), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, SpainDepartamento de Agricultura, Ganadería y Medio Ambiente, Unidad para la descontaminación integral del Lindano, Gobierno de Aragón, SpainProspecting & Environment Laboratory (PROMEDIAM), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, SpainDepartment of Mining Exploitation and Prospecting, University of Oviedo, SpainA blind field test with 136 independent measurements of radon (222Rn) in soil air retrieved from a depth of 0.8 m in a decommissioned lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) production plant was undertaken to evaluate the performance of the 222Rn-deficit technique as a screening methodology for the location and delineation of subsurface accumulations of complex mixtures of organic contaminants. Maps of 222Rn iso-concentrations were drawn and interpreted before direct analytical information regarding concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexanes, chlorobenzenes and BTEX compounds in soil, groundwater and soil air were disclosed to the authors. The location and extension of pollution hot spots inferred from the 222Rn campaigns agrees remarkably well with the analytical data obtained from the intrusive sampling campaigns and with the location of contaminant source zones (chemical reactor and waste-storage area) and geological sinks of those contaminants (paleochannel). Two main limitations to the applicability of the 222Rn-deficit technique were identified and assessed: The statistically significant variation of 222Rn concentrations with diurnal changes of ground-level air temperature and the maximum depth of investigation in the absence of significant advective and co-advective transport of radon. If the influence of those two factors is accounted for and/or minimized (by averaging replicated measurements during the workday and in different days), the 222Rn-deficit technique has the potential to be an efficient technique which delivers information in quasi-real time, with a much higher spatial density than that of intrusive techniques, at a much faster rate and at a significantly lower cost. Main findings: The 222Rn-deficit technique is an effective tool for real-time site characterization only limited by diffusion length of radon and diurnal temperature variations. Keywords: Site characterization, Natural tracer, Lindane, Uncertaintieshttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019346938 |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
E. De Miguel F. Barrio-Parra M. Izquierdo-Díaz J. Fernández J.E. García-González R. Álvarez |
spellingShingle |
E. De Miguel F. Barrio-Parra M. Izquierdo-Díaz J. Fernández J.E. García-González R. Álvarez Applicability and limitations of the radon-deficit technique for the preliminary assessment of sites contaminated with complex mixtures of organic chemicals: A blind field-test Environment International |
author_facet |
E. De Miguel F. Barrio-Parra M. Izquierdo-Díaz J. Fernández J.E. García-González R. Álvarez |
author_sort |
E. De Miguel |
title |
Applicability and limitations of the radon-deficit technique for the preliminary assessment of sites contaminated with complex mixtures of organic chemicals: A blind field-test |
title_short |
Applicability and limitations of the radon-deficit technique for the preliminary assessment of sites contaminated with complex mixtures of organic chemicals: A blind field-test |
title_full |
Applicability and limitations of the radon-deficit technique for the preliminary assessment of sites contaminated with complex mixtures of organic chemicals: A blind field-test |
title_fullStr |
Applicability and limitations of the radon-deficit technique for the preliminary assessment of sites contaminated with complex mixtures of organic chemicals: A blind field-test |
title_full_unstemmed |
Applicability and limitations of the radon-deficit technique for the preliminary assessment of sites contaminated with complex mixtures of organic chemicals: A blind field-test |
title_sort |
applicability and limitations of the radon-deficit technique for the preliminary assessment of sites contaminated with complex mixtures of organic chemicals: a blind field-test |
publisher |
Elsevier |
series |
Environment International |
issn |
0160-4120 |
publishDate |
2020-05-01 |
description |
A blind field test with 136 independent measurements of radon (222Rn) in soil air retrieved from a depth of 0.8 m in a decommissioned lindane (γ-hexachlorocyclohexane) production plant was undertaken to evaluate the performance of the 222Rn-deficit technique as a screening methodology for the location and delineation of subsurface accumulations of complex mixtures of organic contaminants. Maps of 222Rn iso-concentrations were drawn and interpreted before direct analytical information regarding concentrations of hexachlorocyclohexanes, chlorobenzenes and BTEX compounds in soil, groundwater and soil air were disclosed to the authors. The location and extension of pollution hot spots inferred from the 222Rn campaigns agrees remarkably well with the analytical data obtained from the intrusive sampling campaigns and with the location of contaminant source zones (chemical reactor and waste-storage area) and geological sinks of those contaminants (paleochannel). Two main limitations to the applicability of the 222Rn-deficit technique were identified and assessed: The statistically significant variation of 222Rn concentrations with diurnal changes of ground-level air temperature and the maximum depth of investigation in the absence of significant advective and co-advective transport of radon. If the influence of those two factors is accounted for and/or minimized (by averaging replicated measurements during the workday and in different days), the 222Rn-deficit technique has the potential to be an efficient technique which delivers information in quasi-real time, with a much higher spatial density than that of intrusive techniques, at a much faster rate and at a significantly lower cost. Main findings: The 222Rn-deficit technique is an effective tool for real-time site characterization only limited by diffusion length of radon and diurnal temperature variations. Keywords: Site characterization, Natural tracer, Lindane, Uncertainties |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019346938 |
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