Archive for December, 2011

Friday, December 16, 2011 @ 09:12 PM
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Protect Your Wilmington, Delaware Company From Vapor Intrusion

Vapor Intrusion Wilmington DelawareUnfortunately, commercial buildings located in Wilmington, Delaware are at risk of experiencing vapor intrusion, a situation that can affect the health of everyone who works in the building. Arising from contaminated soil or ground water, vapor intrusion pollutes interior air, creating a health threat that can have serious consequences.

What is vapor intrusion? Where does it come from? Vapor intrusion occurs when volatile gases seep into a building through cracks and crevices in the foundation or through openings near utility connections entering the building. The gases come from ground water or soil that has been contaminated by any number of chemical pollutants, commonly used in industrial and commercial operations, as well as natural chemical pollutants commonly found beneath the earth’s surface in Wilmington, Delaware. Unless mitigation strategies are put in place, these toxic gases continue to build up, increasing the health risk to those individuals who work inside the building. Severe cases of vapor intrusion can also lead to explosions. Although many of these gases are colorless, some of them emit noticeable odors that provide some evidence that the quality of the air within your Wilmington, Delaware building is not as good as it should be.

There Are Many Ways You May Be Experiencing Vapor Intrusion

When some people talk about contaminated indoor air, they are referring to radon contamination. However, vapor intrusion typically involves other powerful pollutants that cause serious health issues when the levels are high or the exposure to these toxic gases is sustained over a long period of time. Vapor intrusion gases include: radon gas, trichloroethylene (TCE), gasoline ground contamination (Petroleum Hydrocarbons), natural gas, perchloroethylene (PCE or PERC), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), tetrachloroethylene (dry cleaning fluid), methane, and a small assortment of other gases and solvents.

Vapor intrusion is serious and should be taken care of as soon as it is discovered. This is especially true for commercial buildings where solvents and toxic gases are used on a regular basis as part of the daily operations. If you suspect that your commercial building has vapor intrusion, you should bring in a vapor intrusion/radon mitigation specialist to test the levels of these toxic gases in your indoor air.

Depending on the levels of toxicity that are discovered within your building, your mitigation specialist may or may not recommend that you incorporate strategies to eliminate it. Technically, any intrusion of toxic gases is considered unsafe. Therefore, it is recommended that your building undergo strategies designed to minimize vapor intrusion while eliminating the existing buildup of gases.

The active soil depressurization method is the most effective strategy available today. This process involves specialized equipment that is used to equalize the pressure between your commercial building and the ground beneath it. This equalization minimizes the vapor intrusion that occurs.