IN
SITE
The Newsletter of the Superfund
Monitoring and Measurement
Technology Verification Program
Volume 1, Number 1 April 2004
What is the SITE MMT Program?
Performance verification of innovative
field analytical technologies is an integral
part of the regulatory and research
mission of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). The Superfund
Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE)
Program was established by the EPA to
meet three primary objectives:
• identify and remove obstacles to the
development and commercial use of
innovative technologies;
• demonstrate promising innovative
technologies and gather reliable perfor-
mance and cost information to support
site characterization and cleanup
activities; and
• develop procedures and policies that
encourage the use of innovative
technologies at Superfund sites as well as
other waste sites or commercial facilities.
The intent of a SITE demonstration is to
Figure 2. Environmental samples were collected from
EPA Region 2 (Newark Bay, NJ; Raritan Bay, NJ),
Region 3 (Nitro, WV), Region 4 (Warren County, NC;
Brunswick, GA), Region 5 (Tittabawassee River, Ml;
Midland, Ml; Saginaw Township, Ml), and Region 7
(Winona, MO).
CI
2.3,7,8-TctraehlorodnMiuo-p-dloxln
ci
2,3,7,8-TMrachlorodibmzofiiran
civ
3,3<,4,4',5,51-H«xachiOfobiph«ny1
Figure 1. Structures of a representative dioxin,
furan, and polychlorinated biphenyl
obtain representative, high-quality
performance and cost data on
innovative technologies so that potential
users can assess a given technology's
suitability for a specific application.
What are dioxins?
Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-
dioxins and polychlorinated
dibenzofurans, commonly
referred to collectively as
"dioxins," are of significant
concern in site cleanup
projects and human health
assessments because dioxins
are highly toxic. Dioxins and
furans are halogenated
aromatic hydrocarbons
(shown in Figure 1) and have
similar structural, chemical,
and physical properties.
Dioxins are extremely stable
under most environmental
-------
conditions making them persistent once
released in the environment. The close
toxicological and structural similarity of
coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs) to dioxins has led to the extension
of risk assessments to include these dioxin-
like compounds.
Why conduct this demonstration?
Conventional laboratory-based
analytical methods for dioxins and PCBs
are highly accurate and sensitive, but
time-consuming and very costly. The use
of simple, rapid, cost-effective
measurement technologies enables field
personnel to quickly assess the extent of
contamination at a site and permit the
development of a more focused
sampling strategy for subsequent
laboratory-based methods. However,
users need to evaluate the performance
of the technologies before adopting an
alternative strategy to exclusive use of
traditional laboratory-based methods.
The participants in the demonstration are
presented in Table 1.
Why conduct a test in Michigan?
The Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality, EPA Region 5, and
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wanted
to be on the leading edge of innovative
analytical technology for the
determination of dioxins and took
advantage of this opportunity to share
this information with their communities.
The demonstration will begin on April 26
and interested observers are welcome to
attend a Visitors Day on the morning of
April 28 at the Green Point Environmental
Learning Center in Saginaw, Michigan.
The Visitors Day will allow observers to get
a first-hand look at the technologies in
Table 1. Participants in Dioxin Demonstration
Participant
Abraxis,
L.L.C.
Hybrizyme
Corporation
Paracelsian,
Inc.
CAPE
Technologies
LLC.
Xenobiotic
Detection
Systems, Inc.
Wako Pure
Chemicals
Industries,
LTD.
AXYS
Analytical
Services, LTD.
Contact
Information
Fernando
Rubio
215-357-3911
Randy Allen
919-783-9595
Noriyoshi Inoue
914-472-5152
Bob Harrison
207-741-2995
John Gordon
919-688-4804
Emmy Leung
877-714-1920
Laurie Phillips
250-655-5800
Technology
Name
(analytical
approach)
Coplanar PCB
ELISA Kit
(immunoassay)
AhRC PCR™ Kit
(Ah-
receptor/PCR)
Ah-
Immunoassay®
(ELISA)
DF-1 Dioxin/Furan
Immunoassay
(immunoassay)
CALUX®
(bioassay)
Dioxin ELISA Kit
(immunoassay)
High resolution
mass
spectrometry
(commercial
analytical lab)
For additional information
about the U.S. EPA SITE MMT
Program, contact Stephen
Billets at 702-798-2232 or
billets.stephen@epa.gov.
operation.
Demonstration design
Soil and sediment samples were
collected for use in this demonstration
from a variety of dioxin-contaminated
sites (see Figure 2). The samples represent
unique environmental situations and vary
greatly in concentration, interferents, and
matrix composition. Each participant will
be required to analyze over 200 samples,
including quality control samples to
ensure that a robust and scientifically
defensible dataset is obtained.
Oufcomes
Innovative Technology Verification
Reports (ITVRs), which describe the
performance of each technology, are
planned for release in the fall of 2004. The
reports will be posted on the Program's
Web site (http://www.epa.aov/ORD/SITE).
------- |