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 Work Products
  • PVI Information Papers
  • 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 Work Products

EPA’s Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST) has consulted with various Regional and state UST programs, private consultants, and industry representatives to gain individual input on a variety of technical issues. Informed by the discussions, OUST has produced several work products intended to share information on PVI with interested parties.

PVI Database

The PVI database is comprised of data from 70 sites located in eight states, Canada, and Australia. The data include 879 benzene soil vapor records, 645 oxygen soil vapor records, and 823 records with paired benzene soil vapor and groundwater data.

• Microsoft Access 2007 database file (Microsoft Access file, 3.8MB)
  • PVI Database Data Dictionary and Database Entity Relationship Diagram (for Access database) (PDF) (7 pp, 354K)

PVI Information Papers

• 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. This version addresses public comments that EPA solicited in July 2011.
• EPA. May 2011. EPA’s Petroleum Vapor Intrusion Efforts (PDF). (3 pp, 118K)
  This paper describes in question and answer format EPA’s efforts to develop guidance on PVI. The paper briefly articulates differences in vapor intrusion potential between petroleum and chlorinated hydrocarbons and discusses EPA's plans to develop communications and technical products to support the guidance scheduled for completion by the end of 2012.  

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 Web Site.
  Basic information regarding non-petroleum vapor intrusion (e.g., VI from chlorinated solvents) including topics such as 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 not only draw upon existing resources from the CLU-IN website, but also from other sources of information that were not previously cited or available on CLU-IN. These topics are still being researched, and these issue areas will be 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.