Principal Investigator Philip Gschwend
The overall objective is to demonstrate that the polyethylene (PE) passive sampling methodology is a commercially viable technology for determining horizontal and vertical distributions of chemicals like PCBs and PAHs in sediments. To this end, our specific objectives include: (a) demonstrating the accuracy of the PE passive sampling method used in the field (i.e., in situ), (b) demonstrating the advantages of using PE passive sampling for defining the horizontal and vertical extent of contamination, (c) showing the PE passive sampling is well suited to long term monitoring programs (LTM), and (d) establishing not only the performance capabilities (limits of detection, accuracy, precision), but also the cost benefits of this passive sampling approach as compared to traditional sampling and analysis methods.