The following pages describe how toxic vapors can enter your living space from the subsurface
The following pages describe various methods to prevent toxic vapors entering your living space from the subsurface
The following pages describe basic groundwater flow
The following pages describe basic contaminant transport by groundwater
The following page describes how products like gasoline sink below water when it normally floats
The following page illustrates the importance that contaminated soils are often composed of three different populations
The following page illustrates the mechanism for chemicals as a separate phase to directly, not dissolved in water, contaminate soils
The following page illustrates the mechanism for chemicals, dissolved in water, to contaminate soils
The following page provides definitions of terms used on this website
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SEEPAGE OF CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER (DISSOLVED PRODUCT) INTO A BASEMENT: causing vapors in a home


This figure illustrates a vapor exposure route into the basement of a home. The product could be gasoline; and, as it floats on the water table, it continually dissolves into the groundwater. The contaminated groundwater seeps into the low-lying basement. The dissolved contaminants then volatilize from these seeps.of water, contaminating the basement with vapors. Benzene, toluene,
ethyl benzene, xylene, MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether), and TBA (tertiary butyl alcohol) are some of the contaminants that could be detected if gasoline vapors have entered your home. This is only one of three routes for generation of vapors in the basement of your home from the entry of subsurface contaminants. The other two routes will be depicted later. Also, take note of the elliptical area to left of the text depicted as "Soil" in this figure. This area depicts a blowup of a section of soil. Soil particles are depicted in orange with voids in between them. There will always be voids (known as pore spaces) between the soil particles, no matter how tightly (densely) the soil is packed. Voids in soils, such as these, are known as pore spaces. When these soil pore spaces are below the water table they typically are completely filled with water. Soil pore spaces above the water table are filled with various amounts of both water and air. Water content in the unsaturated zone, those soils above the water table, is ultimately subject to the weather (precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, and wind velocity).


TREATISE - VAPOR GENESIS IN STRUCTURES (CONTINUED)

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TREATISE - VAPOR REMEDY FOR SEEPS OF CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER
     
   
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