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U.S. EPA Contaminated Site Cleanup Information (CLU-IN)


U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. EPA Technology Innovation and Field Services Division

Dense Nonaqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLs)

Detection and Site Characterization

Halogenated Alkanes

1,2-Dibromo-3-chloropropane

DBCP is a volatile halogenated organic and as such is subject to most of the standard characterization and analytical techniques used on this class of chemicals. Methods such as vertical profiling, membrane interface probe, and standard GC/MS are discussed in the main section for DNAPLs detection and site characterization.

Diffusion Samplers

While diffusion samplers have been used mostly for sampling chlorinated ethenes and BTEX, they also have worked for sampling DBCP (ITRC 2004Adobe PDF Logo).

Laboratory Methods

The maximum contaminant level (MCL) for DBCP is 0.2 µg/L; however, special handling procedures during the application of GC and GC/MS methods likely will be needed to obtain this detection level.

Method 504.1: 1,2-Dibromoethane (EDB), 1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloro-Propane (DBCP), and 1,2,3-Trichloropropane (123TCP) in Water by Microextraction and Gas Chromatography
Munch, J.
U.S. EPA, Office of Research and Development, Cinncinati, 20 pp, 1995

SW 846 Method 8011: 1,2-Dibromoethane and 1,2-Dibromo-3-Chloropropane by Microextraction and Gas Chromatography

This method is applicable to the determination of 1,2-dibromoethane and 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane in drinking water and groundwater.

Field Screening Methods

No commercially available methods were found. The MCL for DBCP is 0.2 µg/L, which generally is too low for screening methodologies to detect.

References

Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods
U.S. EPA, SW-846 on line.