Forensic techniques for establishing the origin and timing of a contaminant release

Abstract

Identifying the origin and timing of a contaminant release into the subsurface is a common element in the development of allocation models used in environmental insurance cases. Techniques available for this purpose include aerial photography interpretation, identification of the date of the chemical's commercial availability, association of the chemical with a manufacturing process, chemical profiling for hydrocarbons and chlorinated solvents, chemical degradation models, and reverse groundwater modeling. However, significant uncertainty exists in the reliability of many of these techniques. A case study involving a pesticide formulation facility is included to illustrate the use of these techniques.