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i I rr o it SIERRA SES STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE OVM READINGS SES uses an organic vapor meter (OVM) to determine the presence or absence of volatile organic compounds(VOCs),including benzene,toluene,ethylbenzene,and xylenes in soil samples chosen for field screening The OVM uses a photoionization detector (PID) and is calibrated daily to 100 parts per million of 1-hter of isobutylene The OVM, which measures in parts per million by volume (ppmv), is used for qualitative, not quantitative, assessment because the correlation between the volume measurements of the OVM and the weight measurements of the laboratory instruments is not well defined A field screen sample is obtained from the brass tube immediately above or below the brass tube containing the sample selected for possible analysis The soil to be screened is removed from the brass tube, and is placed in a pre-cleaned brass tube with aluminum foil and a polyethylene . cap on one end The brass tube is loosely filled to approximately 1/2 full Another square of aluminum foil is placed on the open end and a polyethylene cap with crossed slits is placed over it The field screen sample is allowed to temperature equihbrate for approximately 15 to 30 minutes in the sun, allowing any VOCs which might be present in the soil to volatilize out into the brass tube's headspace The OVM nozzle is then placed inside the sealed brass tube, through the slits in the cap, in order to measure the VOCs present, if any, in the headspace The nozzle should remain inside the brass tube for approximately 15 to 30 seconds or until the maximum reading has been recorded on the OVM readout panel The depth from which the sample came and the corresponding OVM reading is recorded on the original field log sheet Field observations, OVM and(odor and staining) readings are used in determining which soil samples are to be analyzed in the laboratory OVM SOP