Real Time Chemical Screening
Yes Virginia, there really is
Chemical Screening Of Residences Using Real Time
Instruments
And yes, we use those instruments.
Portable electronic instruments are available which can
measure low levels of various toxic gases. These
instruments can measure toxic gases at "parts per billion"
(ppb) levels in a matter of minutes. Instruments are
available for such gases as benzene and formaldehyde.
These instruments allow the testing of several locations in
a home within an hour, at a cost of a few hundred dollars.
A trained inspector can sample several rooms of a house,
allowing a search for the most impacted area, in a short
time and at low cost. This "screening" approach enables one
to test tens or hundreds of homes to find which are
affected by contamination. Each instrument tests for only
one or two target chemicals.
An alternative approach, using a Summa canister, takes
hours to perform, days to get results, and costs hundreds
of dollars for each reading. And only one location can be
done per house without prohibitive cost. The Summa canister
test identifies hundreds of compounds in a shotgun
approach.
Due to being more precise, and more legally defensible,
Summa canister tests can be performed subsequent to the
screening with an instrument. The screening provides target
homes and locations to test with the canister, increases
the potential for finding positive results, and reduces
testing of unaffected homes with the more expensive
methodology.