scope:

This document provides guidance about the field investigation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other volatile substances in soil. This investigation can be part of a broader environmental investigation or be limited to only VOCs. VOC's are the most common volatile contaminants, but the document also covers non-organic volatiles (e.g. volatile ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulphide (H2S)), and also mercury Volatile organic compounds to which the standard can be applied include: • Volatile aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, naphthalene; • Aliphatic ethers such as methyl tert.-butyl ether(MTBE) and tert.-amyl methyl ether (TAME); and • Volatile halogenated hydrocarbons such as tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, … This document provides specific recommendations on soil sampling and semi-quantitative measurements for VOCs that are not explicitly covered in the existing ISO 18400 series. In addition, it provides information on the preparation steps (choosing a sampling strategy, defining a sampling plan); describes sampling techniques (drilling techniques, sampling devices and procedures) and field measurements; and gives advice on conservation, packaging, transport and delivery to the laboratory in the context of VOCs (see soil sampling process described on Figure 2). This document provides guidance on the selection of relevant sampling techniques for determining VOCs and how to use them. It clarifies the applicability and limits of the sampling techniques, taking into account the physical, chemical or biological reactions that can occur in soil. For example, it can provide field operators, project leaders and laboratories, with an overview of methods for taking soil samples, minimizing the possible loss of VOCs during and after sample collection. This document gives guidance and recommendations on the use of air/volatiles measurement techniques for safety reasons, before using the same techniques for semi-quantitative measurements of volatiles during soil sampling.