Collaborative Study of Soils Spiked

with Volatile Organic Compounds

ALAN D. HEWITT AND CLARENCE L. GRANT

Vapor fortification offers a means of spiking

INTRODUCTION

soils that overcomes many of the shortfalls of pre-

The wide use and subsequent improper dispos-

vious methods (Jenkins and Schumacher 1987;

al or unintentional release of petroleum products

Hewitt 1993, 1994d,e, in press; Hewitt et al. 1994).

and chlorinated solvents has made volatile organic

This method of soil spiking takes place over sever-

compounds (VOCs) our most common environ-

al days in a closed system by exposing individual

mental hazardous waste problem (Plumb and

subsamples of soils contained in open 1.0-mL

Pitchford 1985). Despite the large number of va-

glass ampoules to vapors of the VOCs of interest.

dose-zone soil samples routinely characterized for

After the vapor fortification treatment the am-

VOCs, no secondary reference soils are available

poules are removed from the desiccator and