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Scroll down this page
to see the latest happening at Sitelab Corporation, from new and
improved products to unique customer applications.
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Testing Drinking Water From Jet Fuel Spill,
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii |
2022 to 2024:
The U.S. military and their contractors are using Sitelab UVF-TRILOGY
analyzers, model 7200-004-FNGP, to monitor hydrocarbons in drinking
water samples. In late November 2021, a large fuel leak occured at
the Red Hill tank farm and contaminated the water supply serving the
base. Thousands of homes were effected.
The U.S. Navy is working closely with the
Hawaii Department of Health, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
the U.S. Army to restore safe drinking water to Joint Base Pearl
Harbor-Hickam housing communities through sampling and flushing, and
the recovery of the Red Hill Well.
“This is really
exciting technology, with a complete test in 15 minutes,” said Lt.
Cmdr. Richard Forney, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command
Engineering Working Group Rapid Response Team officer in charge. “The
Navy has made an investment in this technology to provide residents
with the results as fast as possible. Rather than losing time to
shipping, we’re spending that reclaimed time on fixing any problem we
may find, and getting families home.”
The Sitelab
UVF-TRILOGY Benchtop Analyzer uses ultraviolet fluorescent technology
to offer accurate sample results. “The TPH analyzer zeroes in on
hydrocarbons, which allows a faster result to be delivered to the
resident to validate that the Navy is providing clean, safe water,”
said Forney.
To read more about this story and see additional
photos available, click the news articles linked here published on the
DVIDSHUB.NET website. Visit the State of Hawaii, Dept. of Health's
RED HILL
website for the latest information concerning this spill.
See 60 Minutes episode on CBS about the spill. Sitelab's UVF-Trilogy
is featured near the end of the video (albiet for 10 seconds) showing
technicans measuring water samples. Click video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DUJX58JwSA
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"Rapid
Response Team Utilizes On-Island Analyzer for Faster Lab Results"
SEE LINK
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"Real Time Monitoring at Red Hill Well"
SEE LINK
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Download
manual with
DRINKING WATER SOPs
to see test procedures the Navy is using for
analysis.
Source: U.S. Dept of Defense Visual Information Distribution
Service. DVIDS media is considered public domain and is free to use unless
otherwise specified. Learn more here:
https://www.dvidshub.net
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Forensic Analysis using UVF and USGS
Laboratory Results Testing PAHs in Coal Tar Pavement Sealants |
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Winter 2023: Environmental scientists use a variety
of forensic techniques to identify the source of hydrocarbons using
laboratory data. This
study compares Sitelab’s UVF-Trilogy data and laboratory GC/MS data
using double ratio plots testing pavement sealants for Polycyclic
Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Ratios were then applied using data in three studies conducted
by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), concerning the use of
coal tar sealants and how they impact the environment.
Download:
COAL TAR FORENSICS STUDY
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Sealcoat
Certification Program Completed for DOEE, Washington, DC |
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Summer 2022:
Sitelab Corporation completed a U.S. EPA funded grant with Chesapeake
Bay Trust for DOEE in Washington, DC to create a certification program
testing the PAH content in pavement sealants.
Go to
Sitelab's
PAHS PARKING LOT SEALCOATS
web page for details.
This web page features a list of
qualified products tested to date peformed for DOEE, City of Austin,
TX and Mecklenburg County, NC. Current bans in the United
States, the QA Protocol and other downloads are available. Chain
of custody forms and instructions are also provided for sealcoat
manufacturers who wish to submit samples to Sitelab for analysis.
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Water Quality Study using UVF to Detect Hydrocarbons and
Natural Organics |
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Merrimack River, Massachusetts: This study was
performed to help support a customer looking to distinguish if surface
water contains oil sheens or bio sheens using their UVF-Trilogy
analyzer. Bio sheens can look like oil sheens but are naturally
occurring and are not caused by petroleum spills. Water high in
organic content from algae, decayed plant matter or from bacteria in
stormwater and combined sewer overflows (CSOs), can also be detected
without the use of solvent extraction.
To mimic the types of
conditions they have, a variety of samples were analyzed locally by
Sitelab using it’s two UVF instruments. The Merrimack River is often
polluted by discharges of sewage and features a large number of
marinas and commercial fishing boats where spills of gasoline, diesel
and oil could occur. No oil or sheens were found, but the river
did exhibit a drop in water soluable organics from Haverhill to the
Atlantic Ocean, likely due to a CSO event from heavy rainfall the week
before.
The Merrimack River Watershed
Council is a local non-profit which monitors the river and is a good
resource for it's condition. Visit:
MERRIMACK.ORG
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New Handheld UVF-500D
Hydrocarbon Analyzer |
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Back by popular demand: Sitelab's UVF-500D is a
rugged, battery operated,
low cost handheld instrument which features two optical
channels. It's made for Sitelab by Turner Designs, Inc. and is a
direct replacement for the
older TD-500D model.
Use to monitor produced water, discharge
water, bildge water and waste water contaminated by crude oil and heavy fuels oils. The UVF-500D can also test oil in soils
and sediments. Samples only take a few minutes to analyze. A full
line of test supplies and accessories are
available. See operating manual for details.
This
instrument is sold online. See our
UVF-500D webpage for details. |
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U.S. EPA Grant Award with Chesapeake Bay Trust |
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2019-2022:
Sitelab
Corporation is working with the Chesapeake Bay Trust, DOEE and the U.S.
EPA in Washington, DC to develop and create a certification
program testing the PAH content in parking lot sealcoats.
Materials used to manufacture sealcoats vary; most in commercial use
are made with coal tar, ethylene cracked residue or are
asphalt-based. Manufacturers who participate will know if their product meets a 1,000
ppm (Gold) or 10,000 ppm (Silver) regulatory limit.
An ongoing list of
certified sealcoat products will inform the public of the general
concentration of PAHs in each manufacturer's product. This
information will be used for communities that want to ban sealcoats
made with high concentrations of PAHs. Stay tuned to this
webpage as more information becomes available.
This project has been
funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection
Agency under assistance agreement CB96341401 to the Chesapeake Bay
Trust. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the
views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does
the EPA endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial
products mentioned in this document.
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NC DEQ
Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program |
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Forward thinking: North
Carolina Dept. of Environmental Quality added UVF to its UST trust
fund reimburesment program. Contractors and consultants working
on these sites can use Sitelab's UVF-TRILOGY as an alternative to
laboratory GC methods for testing TPH. The State's price for UVF
is $45/sample, compared to $65/sample price for the EPA 8015 test.
This saves time and money, while improving efforts to clean up petroleum contaminated sites. See links below for
details:
»NC
DEQ UST TRUST FUND MEMO: FEBRUARY 12, 2019
»NC
DEQ GUIDANCE DOCUMENT: APPROVED METHODS
»CUSTOMER
TESTIMONIAL FROM TERRAQUEST ENVIRONMENTAL
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»VISIT
NC DEQ WEBSITE
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UVF-TRILOGY Analyzer
Introduced |
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Summer 2018: Sitelab's
new hydrocarbon analyzer, the UVF-TRILOGY, has replaced the UVF-3100
models. This instrument can do the same tests, but uses new deep UV
LEDs to detect hydrocarbons instead of a UV lamp.
Trilogy features a
touch screen interface, can store up to 18 calibrations, has higher
linear range and can perform hydrocarbon fingerprinting faster than
before using different UV modules availble. Portable battery
charger is available too for use in the field or in remote locations.
»UVF-TRILOGY
BROCHURE |
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Concerned About Sealcoats used on Parking Lots and Driveways? |
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There is growing concern - and regulations in
the works - over the use of sealcoating products due to their high PAH
content. In the United States and elsewhere, most sealcoats are made
from coal tar which can be toxic to aquatic life and threaten public
water supplies from rain and runoff. Sitelab can be used to quickly
check the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
and determine if it's made from coal tar
or alternative petroleum based black top sealants.
Residents in the Town of Pomfret,
Connecticut, submitted a sample for analysis from a street which had
been sealcoated by coal tar. The sealcoat was found on dog's
paws, children's basketballs, shoes, car tires and lawns. The
neighborhood is concerned too about potential PAHs from dust getting
into their homes, drinking water wells and scrapings from snow plows.
»SEE
VIDEO FROM FOX61 NEWS which featured this story.
For more information about this topic,
visit:
COAL
TAR FREE AMERICA
This publication is also a good resource:
USGS
STUDY, AUSTIN, TX
See
2017 PERFORMANCE STUDY
comparing coal tar and
GUARDTOP,
LLC
asphalt-based sealcoats
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Got samples? Send them to Sitelab
Corporation for certified PAH analysis.
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Applications
in Europe Testing Asphalt for PAH content and Benzo[a]Pyrene |
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New regulations by the European Union require
laboratory testing for polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) when
reclaiming or disposing old asphalt from road planings and pavement.
Sitelab’s portable analyzers have similar
sensitivity to these types of compounds. The equipment is easy to
operate and samples can be tested in the field in less than five
minutes. Samples are
extracted in solvent using disposable test kits and then measured on
the instrument which is calibrated using Sitelab’s PAH calibration
kit. Results will
directly correlate to certified laboratories using GC/MS methods.
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New Jersey
Approves UVF Training Course for LSRP Credit |
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In February 2016, the New Jersey Site
Remediation Professional Licensing Board approved Sitelab
Corporation's hands-on training course entitled "Using UVF Technology
Onsite to Test Petroleum Hydrocarbons." SRPLB CEC No. 2016-011. For
class date and location, visit:
www.nj.gov/lsrpboard
If you are a Licensed Site Remediation
Professional (LSRP) working on sites in New Jersey and need credits to
renew your license, this class has been approved for 4 continuing
education credits.
The course is similar to Sitelab's LSP and LEP courses in
Massachusetts and Connecticut. Participants learn how UVF
technology works, it's applications and limitations, as well as
hands-on experience testing soil, water and LNAPL samples.
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Presentations provided at 21st IPEC
Conference, Houston, TX |
Presentations provided by Sitelab Corporation at the International
Petroleum Environmental Conference:
October 14-16, 2014: Houston, TX
»IPEC
CONFERENCE WEBSITE
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Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons or "TPH" is defined
and detected differrently depending on where you're from. What is GRO
and DRO? What is VPH and EPH? How are they similar? How are they
different?
This presentation describes how different laboratory methods exist
from state to state and country to country. In most cases,
laboratories are using the same methods.
Yet even when labs perform the same analysis on the same
samples, results can vary quite a bit.
The use of field screening methods and how they correlate to
these different methods is important to understand.
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Learn how ultraviolet fluorescence and laser induced
fluorescence tools are used together to better dilinate the impact and
volume of oil below the ground.
This
presentation highlights several projects where an environmental
consultant uses Sitelab's UVF data to calibrate LIF data using UVOST
and TarGOST from Dakota Technolgies, Inc. This new technique was
developed by Subsurface Environmental Solutions, LLC, who specialize
in NAPL remediaton.
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Sitelab Corporation presents at
20th IPEC Conference, San Antonio, TX |
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November 12-14, 2013: Hyatt Regency Hotel,
San Antonio, Texas
Title: "Forensic Fingerprinting Petroleum Contaminants using UVF Field Screening
Technology," presented by Steve Greason, Sitelab Corporation.
Do you
work in the oil and gas industry? The International Petroleum
Environmental Conference (IPEC) focuses on environmental issues and
solutions in exploration, production, refining and distribution of
petroleum. Presented by the University of Tulsa, this year marks
IPEC's 20th anniversary and offers 3 days of technical sessions.
Topics include the latest developments in fracking, produced water,
LNAPL, regulatory issues, remediation of hydrocarbon spills and many
more! |
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Discrimination Between Oil Based Drilling Mud and Crude Oil |
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Need to monitor drill
cuttings in
new
wells to see if crude oil, drilling muds or both are present?
Drilling for oil using oil based mud (OBM) facilitates the drilling
process but is often confusing for the mudlogging geologist.
An evaluation study was performed testing 8
samples for a customer in California.
"The equipment shows a clear distinction between the OBM and
formation oil when extracted from their liquid state."
Horizon Well Logging, Inc.
The types and quantities of aromatic hydrocarbons that exist in crude
oil fluoresce very differently and at much higher intensity compared to
oil-based drilling muds and their additives.
If
drill cuttings require TPH analysis, either instrument is suitable.
But when used together,
Sitelab's technology can detect how much and what type of hydrocarbon
is present.
It can even
estimate the API gravity in the oil or drill cuttings.
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»See
TPH Drilling Mud Applications
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PAH
analysis and forensic mapping in sediments on Grand Calumet River |
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"We evaluated more than one technology to implement the on-site PAH
screening, but ultimately felt that Sitelab offered
the greatest understanding of our data needs and more flexibility and
interpretive power in your data output."
Customer/Project Manger
»SEE
FEATURE STORY
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Sitelab Corporation was hired by
an environmental contractor to analyze 100 sediment
samples collected from a post-dredge area covering a 1 mile stretch of
river in Hammond, Indiana.
The data was used to determine which of the 25
sample locations would require further assessment.
In 2012,
J.F. Brennan will be installing a cap on the river bottom,
which consists of a 12 inch layer of a sand and organoclay mixture.
The cap is designed to prevent future exposure and pathways of
the impacted sediments left behind.
Sitelab's PAH fingerprinting data, combined by
sample location coordinates recorded by GPS, were used to map the
sediment contamination. Results revealed several "hot spots" and
where fresher versus older crude oil exists in the river.
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Field method for testing oil sheens on
surface water using sheen nets |
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A pipeline spill in
Michigan contaminated a river with crude oil. Almost one year
later, oil sheens continued to be spotted on the river's surface, as
do "bio sheens," which look like oil sheens but only contain
biological, natural organic matter from leaves and other decomposing
vegetation.
The oil company's contractor collected samples from both contaminated
and non-contamianted areas using sheen nets. The nets were
extracted in solvent and analyzed by Sitelab's laboratory. The oil
sheen nets fluoresced similar to each other, while the bio sheen nets
came up clean and non-detect. Knowing the difference between the
two will help improve monitoring and cleanup.
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U.S. Gulf Coast Oil Spill, 1-Year Later: |
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In
April 2011, Sitelab received a group of samples collected from
Perdidio Key in Pensacola, Florida. The samples included beach
sand and several fragments of tar balls washed ashore resulting from
the BP oil spill from one year before. Beach samples were
collected from the surface down to two feet deep, at both high tide
and low tide in the same area where clean up crews made their daily
visit
The
samples were analyzed by Sitelab using our UVF-3100D and TD-500D
instruments. Results show the tar balls did not appear to leave
any residual oil in the sand. Despite the distance and time
spent at sea, these tar balls fluoresced very similar to other tar
balls tested by Sitelab.
This report highlights results from
different sites along the Gulf of Mexico.
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Sitelab Evaluated by BP's Deepwater Horizon Response Team |
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August
2010: Summary of the final evaluation report for Sitelab's portable
petroleum contamination test kits states:
Key Conclusions: Established
technology for detecting oil in both water and soil applications.
We have communicated these results to the Deepwater Horizon MC252
Incident Command Posts with a request that they give consideration to
the use of your technology."
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TPH
in Water Performance Evaluation Studies
Sitelab evaluated it's UVF-3100 analyzer by
testing blind, NELAC certified water samples provided by
Environmental Resource Associates (Arvada, CO). ERA is a leading
manufacturer of quality control and proficiency testing standards sold
to environmental laboratories around the world. The samples
contained spiked concentrations of GRO, DRO and TPH in water.
Sitelab correlated well to the other laboratories who participated.
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Florida Department of Environmental Protection Acceptance Letter |
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The State DEP's Bureau of Petroleum
Storage Systems, located in Tallahassee, Florida, has accepted Sitelab's
UVF-3100 as a field screening device for the measurement of petroleum
hydrocarbon concentrations in soil and groundwater as a result of Sitelab's
performance during the U.S. EPA TPH in Soil evaluation study.
"The
Bureau, in accordance with it's Guidelines for Assessment and Source
Removal of Petroleum Contaminated Soil, hereby recognizes the EPA
verification test of the UVF-3100 as an alternative validation report."
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»FL-DEP
LETTER
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Environmental
Engineering Award to EPA SITE Program Contractor |
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As part of the U.S. EPA SITE Program,
under the direction of Dr. Kumar Topudurti of Tetra Tech EM Inc. in
Chicago, Illinois. Tetra Tech performed the first-ever
comprehensive evaluation of field measurement devices for TPH
measurement in soil. To make sure that the evaluation produced
practical and useful information for environmental scientists and
engineers, Tetra Tech developed and implemented a comprehensive
experimental design that was scientifically sound and statistically
based.
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U.S. EPA
publishes TPH in Soil Evaluation
Report
In 2001, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency completed a performance study called
"Field Measurement Technologies for Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons in
Soil" by evaluating Sitelab and six other manufacturers through the
Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) program.
Stakeholders and project participants included EPA Regions,
Department of Defense, American Petroleum Institute, British
Petroleum, Chevron, Equilon (Shell and Texaco) and ExxonMobil. The project took two years to complete and cost nearly $1 million
dollars. Tetra Tech, Inc. managed the
project.
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Approved 4-hour Credit
Training Course Available
Are you a Licensed Site Professional (LSP)
performing work in Massachusetts? Or a Licensed
Environmental Professional (LEP) in Connecticut? Need
credits to renew your license? Sitelab has been State
approved to provide a 4-hour continuing education credited
course called "Field Screening Petroleum Hydrocarbons Using
Ultraviolet Fluorescence Technology." Participants learn
how UVF technology works, it's applications and limitations, as
well as hands-on experience testing samples.
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LSPA.ORG
EPOC.ORG
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Customer Videos Available:
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