Due to their apparent mobility in many soil types and the analytical sensitivity of tests used for their detection, volatile organic compounds (VOC) may prove to be useful indicators of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill leachate contamination. Data were collected from the analysis of leachates and from monitoring wells at sites where ground water was contaminated by MSW landfill leachates.
Results of the leachate analyses show some volatiles to be ubiquitous in leachates. Commonly detected compounds include the priority pollutants toluene; methylene chloride ; 1,1,2-trichloroethylene; 1,1-dichloroethane; ethylbenzene; benzene and trans-1,1-dichloroethylene. The non-priority pollutant parameters acetone, 2-propanol and xylene were also common in leachate.
Anderson, D. (1982), Does landfill leachate make clay liners more permeable? Civil Engineering— ASCE, September, pp. 66-69.
2.
Anderson, S. (1983), Minnesota ground water contamination by organic compounds. Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Report, unpublished.
3.
Boettner, E.A., Ball, G.L., Hollingsworth, Z. & Aquino, R. (1981), Organic and organotin compounds leached from PVC and CPVC pipe. EPA-600/1-81-062. NTIS No. PB82-108333, September.
4.
Burmaster, D.E. & Harris. R.H. (1982), Ground water contamination: an emerging threat . Technology Review, July.
5.
Cameron, J.D. & Stewart, M.W. (1982), Leachate disposal alternatives in a sole source aquifer environment. Fifth Annual Madison Conference of Applied Research and Practice on Municipal and Industrial Waste, September.
6.
CEQ, Council on Environmental Quality (1981 ), Contamination of ground water by toxic organic chemicals . Washington, D.C., U.S.A., January.
7.
Federal Register (1979), Guidelines establishing test procedures for the analysis of pollutants: proposed regulations, Vol. 44. 3 December 1979.
8.
Federal Register (1980), Summary of USEPA priority pollutants, Vol. 45. 28 November 1980, pp. 74890-74892.
9.
Geraghty & Miller, Inc. (1983), Newsletter. Syosset, New York. V. 5, No. 1.
10.
Gibb, J.P., Schuller, R.M. & Griffin, R.A. (1981), Procedures for the collection of representative water quality data from monitoring wells. Cooperative Ground Water Report 7; Illinois State Water Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey. Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, U.S.A.
11.
Hathaway, S.W. (1980), Sources of toxic compounds in household wastewater . EPA-600/2-80-128. NTIS No. PB81-110942, August.
12.
Hickok, E.A. & Associates, Inc. (1983a), Hydrogeological assessment at a sandplain landfill. Report prepared for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Wayzata, Minnesota, U.S.A., February.
13.
Hickok, E.A. & Associates, Inc. (1983b), Hydrogeological assessment at a clay landfill. Report prepared for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Wayzata, Minnesota, U.S.A., March.
14.
Kmet, P. & McGinley, P.M. (1982), Chemical characteristics of leachate from municipal solid waste landfills in Wisconsin. Fifth Annual Madison Conference of Applied Research and Practice on Municipal and Industrial Waste, September.
15.
Miller, G.D. (1982), Uptake and release of lead, chromium and trace level volatile organics exposed to synthetic well casings. Proceedings of Second National Symposium on Aquifer Restoration and Ground Water Monitoring. National Water Well Association , Worthington, Ohio, U.S.A.
16.
MPCA, Minnesota Pollution Control-Agency ( 1983), Ground water protection strategy framework for Minnesota . Roseville, Minnesota, U.S.A., June.
17.
Pettyjohn, W.A., Dunlap, W.J., Crosby, R. & Keely, J.W. (1981), Sampling ground water for organic contaminants . Ground Water19 (2), 180-189.
18.
Sosebee, J.B., Geiszler, P.C., Winegardner, D.L. & Fisher, C.R. (1982), Contamination of ground water samples with PVC adhesives and PVC primer from monitor wells. Environmental Science and Engineering Inc., Gainesville, Florida . Technical Paper, January.
19.
Young, P.J. & Parker, A. (1983), The identification and possible environmental impact of trace gases and vapours in landfill gas, Waste Management and Research1, 213-226.
