Non-Intrusive Flux Chambers

Passive, Non-Intrusive Soil-Gas Sampling Method to Target Chemical Warfare Agent (CWA), CWA Breakdown Products, Munitions And Explosives Of Concern (MECs), and Compounds Associated With The Demilitarization of CWA And Chemical Warfare Materiel

In addition to targeting standard VOCs and SVOCs in the environmental industry, such as chlorinated and petroleum hydrocarbons, Beacon Environmental can also target chemical warfare agents (CWAs) and their degradation products in the vapor phase. These compounds can be targeted with a completely non-intrusive sampling approach where the sorbents are suspended beneath surface-placed flux chambers. Beacon Environmental’s passive, non-intrusive samplers have identified both HD and nerve agents, as well as HD degradation products (1,4-dithiane and 1,4-oxathiane) at numerous locations at sites where disposal of chemical warfare agents (CWAs) reportedly occurred more than 40 years ago. In addition, chlorinated hydrocarbons used in the demilitarization of HD contaminated materials were identified as still being present.

Beacon’s non-intrusive BeSure Passive Soil Gas technology offers unique capabilities to investigate sites potentially contaminated with CWAs, agent breakdown products, and compounds used in the demilitarization of chemical warfare materiel (CWM). The technology has been demonstrated successfully to collect and detect CWA, agent breakdown products, and compounds used in the demilitarization of CWM. Beacon Environmental’s passive technology offers a low cost, non-intrusive, and broad-scale investigation capability with easier analysis for rapid turn-around of results. Typical CWA investigations can be very costly and require extensive design. Surveys using passive sorbers for CWA and associated compounds are a highly useful tool to determine the need for a further intrusive investigation, to determine specific “hot spots” of contamination, or for time-critical decision making. The chemicals of concern that can be targeted are:

• CWAs – HD, Sarin (GB), Tabun (GA), and VX
• Agent breakdown products – 1,4-dithiane, 1,4-oxathiane, thiodiglycol
• Nitroaromatics – Nitrobenzene, Nitrotoluene, DNT, Dintrobenzene, TNT, Trinitrobenzene;
• VOCs and SVOCs used in the demilitarization process – Trichloroethene (TCE), Tetrachloroethene (PCE), Carbon Tetrachloride, and 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane (DANC), fuels, etc.