oEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency epa.gov/research Sampling Collection Procedures and Strategies for Chemical Incidents EPA/600/S-22/202 Innovative Science for a Sustainable Future Overview The U.S. Environmental Protections Agency (EPA) is responsible for responding to environmental contami- nation incidents that affect human health and the en- vironment. These emergency response efforts will require sampling of a contaminated area until remedi- ation is complete. Sampling is an important tool used to monitor remediation progression by informing re- sponse personnel with the following information, in- cluding but not limited to: contamination spread, are- as of high contamination (hot spots), determination of decontamination efficacy (and to potentially inform additional remediation efforts), advising economic impacts of generated waste and waste streams, and to notify personnel whether an affected area can be released for civilian reoccupation. Sampling efforts may create a bottleneck for site clearance if hundreds to thousands of samples are generated, which can overwhelm resources (e.g., laboratory capacity and capability and waste streams) during remediation ef- forts. Sampling strategies are intended to provide a framework to assist decision-makers in developing and implementing an approach for sample collection. Sample collection procedures should focus on how a sample should be collected during site characteriza- tion and remediation processes. Determining an ap- propriate sampling strategy and procedure can align resources more accordingly and reduce the burden on emergency response personnel and decision- makers. EPA's Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response (CESER) Homeland Se- curity Research Program (HSRP) developed sam- pling strategies and procedures applicable for chemi- cal contamination. The tools developed by HSRP aim to optimize sampling strategies and procedures and assist EPA stakeholders, Program Offices, and State, Tribal, and Community Partners during a response to a chemical incident. Sampling Collection Procedures Samples collected from the field during a chemical incident. Sampling procedures can be integral to analytical in- terpretation, Proper sampling procedures can mini- mize analytical interferents and preserve sample in- tegrity. HSRP has developed tools and resources to support sample collection procedures for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) inci- dents, which are located on EPA's publicly available Science Inventor 1 and within our Environmental Sampling and Analytical Methods (ESAM) Program". The ESAM website is a comprehensive program that provides information to support field and laboratory efforts, including the Selected Analytical Methods for Environmental Remediation and Recovery (SAM) document and Sampling Collection Information (SCID) document. These documents are updated every four years to align with our four-year strategic planning cycle, with the current versions to be pub- lished in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Sampling pro- cedures play a critical role in the determination of site clearance. Examples of several sampling procedures are described within decontamination evaluations that were developed for HSRP chemicals of interest. The collection of HSRP sampling efforts that were devel- oped to support the emerging needs of EPA stake- holders and HSRP's current Strategic Research Ac- tion Plan3 (2019-2022) for chemical analytes of inter- (Continued on page 2) Connect with us Online You irnrn ------- v>EPA est are presented in Appendix A. Sampling Strategies Appropriate sampling strategies can be used to in- form and plan sampling procedures. Like sampling procedures, sampling strategies can affect outcomes during the remediation phase of an incident. Sam- pling strategies, which can be used to inform sam- pling processes4,5, may include the testing and eval- uation of novel equipment to evaluate sampling over wide areas or the collection of samples from newly developed procedures and/or techniques or the eval- uation of how chemicals behave on porous/ permeable surfaces. Sampling strategies may also include modeling that can be used to address sam- pling procedures during response efforts6"9 or docu- ments that contain information to reduce resources (e.g., laboratory waste, identification of important variables that inform sampling, etc.)10. Some sam- pling tools that were developed for other disciplines may also be applicable for chemical incidents11. The collection of work developed within the Homeland Security (HS) research area that support sampling strategies are presented in Appendix A. Summary CESER's Homeland Security Research Program supports our stakeholders by addressing the gaps associated with sampling procedures and strategies that can be used to inform decision-makers during chemical incidents and remediation efforts. Sampling studies will continue to be developed during the next planned phase of the HS Research Program in order to ensure the Agency and its stakeholders are pre- pared to address such incidents. Disclaimer The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through its Office of Research and Development, developed and managed the research document described herein. It has been subjected to the Agency's review and has been approved for publication. Note that approval does not signify that the contents neces- sarily reflect the views of the Agency. Mention of trade names, products, or services does not convey official EPA approval, endorsement, or recommen- dation. Contact Information For more information, visit the EPA Web site at https:// www.epa.gov/emergency-response-research. Technical Contact: Stuart Willison (Willison.stuart@epa.gov) References 1. U.S. EPA Science Inventory, https:// cfpub.epa.gov/si/ (accessed 8/10/22). 2. Environmental Sampling and Analytical Methods Program, https://www.epa.gov/esam (accessed 8/10/22). ~ 3. U.S. EPA Homeland Security Strategic Re- search Action Plan 2019-2022. EPA 601 K20002 4. L. Oudejans. Persistence of Chemical Warfare Agent VX on Building Material Surfaces; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Washington D.C., 2019. 5. L. Oudejans. Transport of Persistent Chemical Warfare Agents HD and VX into Porous Materi- als and Permeable Layers: Practical data for re- mediation of contaminated building materials; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Washing- ton, DC, , 2021. 6. M. Pirhalla; D. Heist; S. Perry; S. Hanna; T. Mazzola; S.P. Arya; Aneja, V., Urban wind field analysis from the Jack Rabbit II Special Sonic Anemometer Study. Atmos Environ. 2020. 7. M. Pirhalla; D. Heist; S. Perry; W. Tang; Brouwer, L., Simulations of dispersion through an irregular urban building array. Atmos Environ. 2021. 8. T. Haxton; K.A. Klise; D. Laky; R. Murray; C.D. Laird; Burkhardt, J. B., Evaluating Manual Sampling Locations for Regulatory and Emer- gency Response. J. Water Resour. Plann. Man- age. 2021, 147 (12). 9. Trade-off Tool for Sampling, https://tots.epa.gov/ (accessed 8/10/22). 10. S. Willison; M. Magnuson; E. Silvestri; P. Lemieux; T. Boe; S. Hines; R. James. Best Practices to Minimize Laboratory Resources for Waste Characterization During a Wide-Area Re- lease of Chemical Warfare Agents; U.S. Environ- mental Protection Agency: Washington, DC, 2018. 11. M. Rodgers; A. Speciale; T. Boe; J. Falik; Sil- vestri, E. Tools Used for Visualizing Sam- pling and Analysis Data During Response to a Contamination Incident; U.S. Environmental Pro- tection Agency: Washington DC, 2021. ect with us Online ¥ You in in ------- v>EPA Appendix A Sampling Collection Procedures for Chemical Incidents L. Oudejans; B. Wyrzykowska-Ceradini; A. Touati; E. Morris; A, Korff. Wet-Vacuum-Based Surface Sam- pling Method for Chemical Agents. U.S. Environmen- tal Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R- 18/313, 2018. T. Haxton; K.A. Klise; D. Laky; R. Murray; C.D. Laird; Burkhardt, J. B., Evaluating Manual Sampling Locations for Regulatory and Emergency Response. J. Water Resour, Plann. Manage. 2021, 147 (12). L. Oudejans. Transport of Persistent Chemical War- fare Agents HD and VX into Porous Materials and Permeable Layers: Practical data for remediation of contaminated building materials. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC. EPA/600/S- 21/155, 2021. S. Willison; D. Stout II; A. Mysz; J. Starr; D, Tabor; B. Wyrzykowska-Ceradini; J. Nardin; E. Morris; E. Snyder. The impact of wipe sampling variables on method performance associated with indoor pesti- cide misuse and highly contaminated areas. Science of the Total Environment. 2019, 655. M. Rodgers; A. Speciale; T. Boe; J. Falik; Silvestri, E. Tools Used for Visualizing Sampling and Analysis Data During Response to a Contamination Incident,; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Washington DC, 2021. L. Oudejans; D. See. Literature Search and Review for Sampling, Analysis, and Decontamination of Chemical Warfare Agent - Contaminated Maritime Vessels. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-20/436, 2020. Sampling Strategies for Chemical Incidents D. Hart; J.S. Rodriguez; J. Burkhardt; B. Borchers; C. Laird; R. Murray; K. Klise; T. Haxton. Quantifying hydraulic and water quality uncertainty to inform sampling of drinking water distribution systems. J Water Resour Plan Manag. 2019, 145 (1). T. Boe. Trade-off Tool for Sampling, https:// tots.epa.gov/ ORD-Q41385. (accessed 8/10/22) J. Archer; A. Touati; S. McDonald. Portable Mercury Detector Testing and Evaluation Report. U.S. Envi- ronmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-20/019, 2020. M. Pirhalla; D. Heist; S. Perry; S. Hanna; T. Maz- zola; S.P. Arya; Aneja, V., Urban wind field analysis from the Jack Rabbit II Special Sonic Anemometer Study. Atmos Environ. 2020 D Connect with us I®) ¥ Online • • You irnro ------- |