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ADVISORY - ACTIVE SOIL GAS INVESTIGATIONS <br />Vacuum during purging should not exceed 100 inches of water. <br />The anticipated spatial influence of the HPV should not extend beyond the <br />building's footprint, otherwise, ambient air may enter into the sample from the <br />edges of the foundation. This situation can be alleviated by installing probes <br />subject to HPV in the interior portions of the building. <br />A leak check compound should be used during the purging and sampling. <br />The amount of purge volume should be measured with a calibrated extraction <br />pump. <br />During the purging, site contaminants should be measured with a field <br />instrument, such as a photoionization detector capable of reading in the parts per <br />billion range, at the start of purging and then every 30 minutes thereafter, at a <br />minimum. <br />Fixed gases, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, should be monitored every 10 <br />minutes during purging to evaluate potential ambient air breakthrough into the <br />sample system. Typically, oxygen and carbon dioxide should remain constant <br />during the purging of sub-slab soil gas. Changes of fixed gas concentrations may <br />be indicative of unacceptable leakage through the foundation slab. <br />To evaluate the radial influence of the HPV sampling, vacuum measurements <br />should be continuously monitored at a nearby sub-slab probe locations. These <br />data, along with all other field data, should be reported to the oversight agency. <br />As an additional line of evidence for the integrity of the final laboratory sample, <br />the leakage of air through the foundation slab should be quantified by the <br />methods within McAlary and others (2010). <br />If ambient air breakthrough from the foundation slab occurs, the contaminant data <br />collected upon completion of the purging should not be used for risk assessment <br />purposes. Data indicating breakthrough include the detection of the leak check <br />compound, significant increases of oxygen and/or significant decreases in carbon <br />dioxide while purging. Likewise, significant decreases in VOC concentrations, as <br />collected with a field instrument during purging, may be indicative of breakthrough. <br />July 2015 18