Soil-testing kits

PCBs PCB RISc soil test kit EnSys, Inc. (Strategic Diagnostic Inc.) http //www.sdix.com/... 

Signal flares, marine Sizes animal, vegetable, and synthetic plastics materials Sodium chloride, refined Soil testing kits Speai mint oil Spirit duplicating fluid Stearic acid... 

Radon dissolves into groundwater from rocks or soils. When the water is exposed to the atmosphere, some of the dissolved radon is released. As a rule of thumb, there is an increase of about 1 pCi/L in the air inside a house for every 10,000 pCi/L of radon in the household water.50 Higher radon levels have been observed in individual rooms when water is heated or agitated, such as during shower use.51 Builders should be aware that houses require groundwater as the house water supply could have a radon problem. The only way to be certain that the groundwater is not a potential radon source is to have the water from the well tested. Some states and private companies provide test kits for this purpose. It should also be noted that radon concentrations in water, like radon concentrations in the air, can vary significantly. 

Two types of kits are discussed in this section, sample collection kits and field test kits. Sample collection kits will generally contain all sample containers, materials, supplies, and forms necessary to perform sample collection activities. Field test kits contain the equipment and supplies necessary to perform field safety screening and rapid field testing of the air, water, and/or soil. Sample collection kits will generally be less expensive to construct than field test kits. Sample collection kits can be pre-positioned throughout a system, while the more expensive field kits may be assigned to specific site characterization teams or personnel. 

The quality of the analysis of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons is often dependent on the extraction efficiency. Clay and other cohesive soils lower the ability to extract polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons. Another potential problem with polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon analysis is that the test kits may have different responses for different compounds. 

The MetPAD test kit (Group 206 Technologies, Gainesville, Florida) has been developed for the detection of heavy metal toxicity. It has been used to determine the toxicity of sewage water and sludge, sediments, and soil [41]. The test is based on the inhibition of (3-galactosidase activity in an Escherichia coli mutant strain. Performance of the test does not require expensive equipment and it is therefore easily applied as a field test. 

Pullen et al. [192] have described a polychlorobiphenyl immunochemical test kit for soil analysis and showed that results corresponded well with those obtained from gas chromatographic electron capture detection. 

PCBs in soils and wastewaters can be rapidly screened on site or in the laboratory by immunoassay technique (Chapter 1.13). Immunoassay test kits are now commercially available from many suppliers. The samples can be tested at the calibration levels of 1 to 50 ppm. The kit primarily contains antibody-coated test tubes or magnetic particles, assay diluent, PCB-enzyme conjugate, a color-forming substance, and a solution to quench the reaction. The method does not distinguish accurately one Aroclor from another. PCBs can be measured semiquantitatively by comparing the optical density of the color formed in the sample against a set of calibration standards using a spectrophotometer. 

In addition to test kits used in EPA-approved screening methods, a variety of other test kits are available from several manufacturers, for example, immunoassay test kits for BTEX in soil and water and for chlorinated solvents in water colorimetric kits for the detection of lead kits for a wide range of water quality parameter manufactured by Hach Company. 

Dorothy Hodgkin (1910-1994), a British chemist with an archaeologist father and a botanist mother, grew crystals with a soil-chemist test kit when she was ten years old. ... 

The LT system was mobilized to the site after preparation of a detailed site specific Work Plan and Health and Safety Plan. An Air Permit was received from the Stanislaus County Air Resources Board. The soil was excavated from a 50 ft. by 50 ft. area. During treatment the treated soil was composited daily and analyzed using a Hanby Environmental Test Kit for petrolevim hydrocarbons. This simple test kit, which provides rapid soil analysis, was used as a means of process control. The processed soil operating temperature and retention time was optimized at 422°F and 22 minutes, respectively. The treated soil samples were collected and analyzed for TPH and BTEX s by an independent third party. The average of the 18 samples collected and analyzed using approved analytical techniques are provided on Table I. The treated soil exceeded the treatment criteria of 100 ppm total petrolevim hydrocarbons and 700 ppb toluene. 

Photo 41 Field analysis is becoming more common with the development of test kits. This chemist is measuring the amount of oil in soil. (Environment Canada)... 

Immunoassay techniques rely upon synthetic antibodies that have been developed to form a complex with petroleum substances. The antibodies in the test kit are immobilised on the walls of a special cell or membrane. Water samples can be added directly, whereas soils are solvent extracted into a suitable water miscible solvent and added to the cell. A known amount of enzyme with an affinity for the antibody is added. After equilibrium is established, the cell is washed to remove any unreacted material. Colour development reagents which react with the enzyme are added. A solution that stops colour development is also added at a specific time, and the optical density is then measured. Samples showing high optical density (colour intensity) contain low concentrations of analytes. Concentration is inversely proportional to optical density. Kits are generally available for, among others, TPH, BTEX and PAH. A correction factor supplied by the manufacturer is used to calculate TPH and this is subject to variation depending on the product type. These tests do not provide information on product type and have limitations dependent upon soil type and homogeneity. Also, field extraction techniques are not as efficient as laboratory-based extraction techniques. 

Keen visual observation is the most important task during a site reconnaissance. Flowever, some basic in-held chemical testing equipment is useful. Commercial kits are available, mainly based on colorimetric reactions. These kits can be used to check for the presence or absence of common contaminants and to measure soil pH. However, the results obtained using these test kits should only be regarded as qualitative, not least because samples taken at the surface may not represent the bulk of materials on the site. For site reconnaissance, the use of in-held instrumental testing is not justihed. An exception is hand-held equipment to test for the presence of gaseous and volatile contamination—photo-ionisation and other detectors are useful where such contaminants are anticipated. While a Phase la study does not normally include intrusive investigation, a small number of samples may be taken for laboratory analysis. These can be important when waste and other potentially contaminated materials of unknown composition have been spread, deposited or are stored on the site. 

Several field sereening test kits are available for the detection of TNT in soil and water. The most common methods can be categorized into immunoassay and colorimetric based methods. Strategic Diagnostics [4] has two immunoassay based methods commercially available in the market ... 

The use of immunoassay techniques for the determination of PAHs has been reviewed. Immunoassay is based on the coupling of a specific biological antibody in the detection device with the analyte either directly in water or extracted from solid samples and diluted in buffer solution. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the most common immunoassay technique employed in commercially available test kits. Water samples or soil extracts are added with an enzyme conjugate reagent to immobilized antibodies where the conjugate competes with PAHs for binding to the antibodies. ELISA test kit sensitivity and crossreactivity depends on the PAH used to raise the antibody. Antiphenanthrene or antffluoranthene antibodies raised in host animals are the most commonly employed. Test kits will be most sensitive to the PAH from which the antibody was... 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Test Method 4035 Soil screening for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons by immunoassay, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, pp. 1-10, 1996. Waters, L. C., Palausky, A., Counts, R. W., and Jenkins, R. A., Experimental evaluation of two field test kits for the detection of PAHs by immunoassay, Field Anal. Chem. Technol, 1, 227-238, 1997. Barcel6, D., Qubina, A., Salau, J. S., and Perez, S., Determination of PAHs in river water samples by ELISA, Anal Chim. Acta, 376, 49-53, 1998. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recommended that radon-222 levels not ercceed 4 pCi per liter of air in homes. Homes located in areas where the natural uranium content of the soil is high often have levels much greater than that (T FIGURE 21.26). Because of public awareness, radon-testing kits are readily available in many parts of the country. 

ASTM D 512 provides a method for measuring the chloride ion concentration of water. The sulfate ion content is measured in much the same way as the chloride ion test. ASTM D 516 provides a method of measuring the sulfate ion concentration in water. Titration methods and water testing kits can also be used. Soil chlorides can be found naturally in soils, or can be introduced by deicing salts and in a seacoast environment. 

The presence of some forms of aerobic or anaerobic bacteria promotes corrosion, called microbiologically induced corrosion (MIC). The most common type of bacteria causing corrosion in soil is anaerobic sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB). Bacteria can cause the corrosion of ferrous and non-ferrous pipe. Identification and measurement of MIC can be accomplished by either laboratory analysis or by using several commercially available test kits. 

The samples were prepared by adding 100 grams of plastic sample to 600 grams of mature soil compost in a 5-liter glass jar. The mature compost, 2-3 months old, had a pH of 8.7, ash content of 35%, and Carbon/Nitrogen (C/N) ratio of 10. The C/N ratio was calculated based upon carbon dioxide and ammonia measurements taken with the Sol vita instrument on the compost at the beginning of the test. Solvita is an easy-to-use test that measures both carbon dioxide (CO2) and ammonia (NH3) levels in the soil and also indicates a Maturity Index value. The index is useful for maturity level of the compost soil (Solvita Test Kit 2013). The blank compost had a Solvita overall maturity index of 7... 

Solvita Test Kit (2013) bttp //woodsend.org/soil-bealtb-tooFoverview/ (last accessed June 2014). 

Analytic methods for soil are the same as those for dust in the lab XRF, AAS, and ICP, in the field, spot test kits are being developed, as well as portable XRF instruments to survey soil-covered areas and plot the isopleths of soil concentrations. 

Spot test Idts being developed for dust are also designed to indicate the presence of lead in soil. These kits will be evaluated in terms oftheir extraction requirements, detection limit, and the fi-equency and circumstances of false positives and negatives. A portable XRF instrument for soil measurements has been developed for larger sites typical of superfund clean-up operations, it is being adapted for use in an urban soil setting. 

A variety of commercial kits and automated systems are available to test the abilities of bacteria to assimilate, ferment, decarboxylate, or cleave selected organic compounds.46 Their reliability for species identification is usually greater with cultures from clinical samples, where a limited number of bacteria are commonly encountered, and less with environmental soil and water samples, where a great many uncommon or previously unidentified species not in the database are likely to be present.29,45 Additional tests beyond those found in the commercial kits may be necessary for example, the hydrolysis of various nitriles and amides is useful for identifying Rhodococcus spp.47 Some commercial kits for clinical use feature antimicrobial susceptibility testing.21... 

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