Could Vapor Intrusion Issues Impact Puerto Rico’s High-Rise Buildings?
The environmental and building science experts at Zimmetry Environmental provide vapor intrusion and other indoor environmental quality testing services throughout Puerto Rico and across the Caribbean.
There are a number of contaminated areas in Puerto Rico, including recognized Superfund sites, where either the soil or groundwater, or both, have been polluted with volatile chemicals.
Vapor intrusion is the process by which volatile chemicals migrate to the indoor air above a contaminated site. This generally occurs when there is movement of volatile chemicals from contaminated groundwater or soil into an overlying building.
These types of cases can occur anywhere that buildings are constructed on a contaminated site or when contaminants migrate underground from one area to another. While issues concerning vapor intrusion in basements and the lower levels of buildings are well-documented, these same problems can also impact even the upper levels of high-rise buildings in some circumstances.
Recently, the Daily News published a story about a sixteen story apartment complex in Brooklyn that was constructed by land and over groundwater that is believed to have chemical contamination issues from petroleum and tetrachloroethylene (PERC), a chemical that was used in the dry cleaning industry. According to their article, PERC and benzene (a component of petroleum) were found at elevated levels in the air of apartments tested as high as the 14th floor.
“There are a number of contaminated areas in Puerto Rico, including recognized Superfund sites, where either the soil or groundwater, or both, have been polluted with volatile chemicals,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “As appears to be the case in New York, even residents or workers in high rise buildings are not immune from potential exposure risks. These volatile substances may include volatile organic compounds, select semi-volatile organic compounds and some inorganic analytes, such as elemental mercury, radon and hydrogen sulfide.”
Helping companies, institutions and residents of Puerto Rico identify and resolve vapor intrusion issues and other potential indoor environmental quality (IEQ) concerns are the building science experts at Zimmetry Environmental. Their expert staff has decades of experience and access to the most advanced testing methods and monitoring instruments.
To learn more about Zimmetry Environmental and their building science, indoor environmental quality, compliance and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies. The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America. The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.
( Press Release Image: https://photos.webwire.com/prmedia/12710/232200/232200-1.png )
WebWireID232200
Puerto Rico- Contact Information
- Paul Cochrane
- President
- Cochrane & Associates, LLC
- Contact via E-mail
This news content may be integrated into any legitimate news gathering and publishing effort. Linking is permitted.
News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.