Underground Storage Tanks

Introduction

This PVI compendium provides links to various documents that contain information about PVI. Please use the tabs at the top of the pages to navigate through the PVI compendium. The resources below provide introductory information.

• Overview Of PVI
• PVI Guidance
• PVI Database
• PVI Technical Documents
• PVI Webinars
• Additional Vapor Intrusion Resources

Overview Of PVI

Vapor intrusion occurs when vapor-phase contaminants migrate from subsurface sources into buildings. One type of vapor intrusion is PVI, in which vapors from petroleum hydrocarbons such as gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel enter a building. The intrusion of contaminant vapors into indoor spaces is of concern due to potential threats to safety (e.g., explosive concentrations of petroleum vapors or methane) and possible adverse health effects from inhalation exposure to toxic chemicals.

PVI Guidance

• Guidance For Addressing Petroleum Vapor Intrusion At Leaking Underground Storage Tank Sites – External Draft Review (PDF) (98 pp, 1.8MB). EPA is seeking public input on this draft guidance. EPA extended the input period through June 24, 2013. Submit your input to Regulations.gov (EPA-HQ-RCRA-2002-0033-0071).
  • Vapor Intrusion Guidance: Overview for Stakeholders (PDF) (22 pp, 534K)
    This Powerpoint briefing presents a brief overview of both the OSWER Vapor Intrusion Guidance and the PVI Guidance (beginning on slide #11).

PVI Database

• Evaluation Of Empirical Data To Support Soil Vapor Intrusion Screening Criteria For Petroleum Hydrocarbon Compounds (EPA 510-R-13-001), January 2013 (PDF) (144 pp, 8.6MB) This technical report evaluates the PVI database.
  • PVI External Peer Review Record (PDF) (322 pp, 21.3MB)
• PVI Database (Microsoft Access Database File, 7MB) This is the complete PVI database file and presents data from 74 sites, comprised of 69 sites in 10 states, 4 sites in Canada, and 1 site in Australia.
  • PVI Database Data Dictionary (23K, You may need the MS Excel Viewer to read this file ) This is the key to the data fields in the PVI database.
  • PVI Database Diagram (PDF) (1 pg, 33K) This is a schematic of the structure of the PVI database.
  • PVI Database Export (982K, You may need the MS Excel Viewer to read this file ) This is an abridged version of the full MS Access PVI database.
• Australian PVI Database (1.1MB, You may need the MS Excel Viewer to read this file ) This file contains data for 124 sites in Australia (6,000 records). Analysis of these data are presented in Appendix C of the PVI Database Report.
  • Australian PVI Data Export (310K, You may need the MS Excel Viewer to read this file ) This file contains 1,080 paired measurements of petroleum hydrocarbon soil vapor and groundwater source concentrations from 124 sites.
  • Short Summary of Australian Database (PDF) (2 pp, 40K) Description of the Australian database including narrative of climatic conditions.

PVI Technical Documents

• An Approach for Developing Site-Specific Lateral and Vertical Inclusion Zones within which Structures Should be Evaluated for Petroleum Vapor Intrusion due to Releases of Motor Fuel from Underground Storage Tanks (EPA 600/R-13/047), December 2012 (PDF) (35 pp, 2.9MB)
  This ORD Issue Paper presents a graphical, data-driven approach to screen buildings for vulnerability to PVI.
  • Spreadsheet for An Approach for Developing Site-Specific Lateral and Vertical Inclusion Zones within which Structures Should be Evaluated for Petroleum Vapor Intrusion due to Releases of Motor Fuel from Underground Storage Tanks (134K, You may need the MS Excel Viewer to read this file) This spreadsheet is intended to facilitate application of the concepts illustrated in the ORD issue paper (above).
• EPA. March 2012. Petroleum Hydrocarbons And Chlorinated Hydrocarbons Differ In Their Potential For Vapor Intrusion (PDF). (13 pp, 655K)
  This document describes how petroleum and chlorinated hydrocarbons behave differently in the subsurface and how these differences can influence whether there is a potential for vapor intrusion to occur.

PVI Webinars

• July 12, 2011
  This webinar was focused on analysis of the PVI database and computer modeling of PVI.
• February 9, 2010
  This webinar included presentations on the fundamentals of vapor intrusion, an overview of vapor intrusion assessments, and case studies.

Additional Vapor Intrusion Resources

• OSWER's Vapor Intrusion website.
  This website provides basic information regarding non-petroleum vapor intrusion (e.g., vapor intrusion from chlorinated solvents) including technical and policy documents to support environmental investigations, and highlights of recent and upcoming activities related to vapor intrusion.

• Vapor Intrusion Issue Area on EPA’s CLU-IN.
  CLU-IN issue areas bundle available information associated with specific topics. These issue areas are updated with information from federal cleanup programs, state sources, universities, nonprofit organizations, peer-reviewed publications, and public-private partnerships.

For additional information about EPA's PVI efforts, please contact Hal White at white.hal@epa.gov.