Environmental Laboratory Testing
Comprehensive testing of water, groundwater, and soil to verify virgin land status and detect contamination.
Water Testing
Surface water and drinking water testing identifies contaminants that compromise water quality and indicate environmental degradation. Comprehensive water analysis screens for heavy metals (lead, arsenic, chromium, mercury, cadmium), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), nitrates from agricultural and septic sources, microbiological contaminants (total coliforms, E. coli), PFAS (“forever chemicals”), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Testing methods include Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for heavy metals, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) for volatile organic compounds, and EPA Method 537.1 and Method 533 for PFAS detection in drinking water.
Groundwater Testing
Groundwater contamination is a critical concern for virgin land assessment because subsurface water can transport pollutants across property boundaries from distant sources. Contaminants enter groundwater through leaching — the downward movement of water-soluble substances carried by precipitation through permeable soil layers into the saturated zone.
Soil texture directly affects groundwater vulnerability. Coarse-textured sandy soils allow rapid transport of contaminants in days or weeks. Clay-rich soils provide significantly more protection. Groundwater testing employs EPA Method 1633A for comprehensive PFAS analysis (40 compounds), EPA Method 8310 for PAH detection, and standard methods for heavy metals and VOCs.
Soil Testing
Virgin Excavated Natural Material (VENM) is defined as natural soil, clay, sand, gravel, or rock that has not been mixed with waste, reworked through industrial processes, or impacted by past land use activities. True virgin soil maintains background concentrations of naturally occurring elements consistent with regional geological formation.
Comprehensive soil testing evaluates contamination at multiple depths — surface (0–6 inches), subsurface intervals (6–12 inches, 12–24 inches), and deeper horizons. Analytical methods include ICP-AES for metals, GC-MS for organic contaminants, EPA Method 1633A Part 3 for PFAS in soil, and EPA Method 8310 for PAH quantification.
Asphalt, Coal Tar, and PAH Contamination
PAHs are a group of over 100 organic compounds formed during incomplete combustion — one of the most significant contamination threats to land adjacent to roads and parking lots.
Coal-Tar Sealcoat: A Primary Source
Coal-tar-based pavement sealcoat contains 20–35% coal-tar pitch and concentrations of 35,000 to 200,000 mg/kg of PAHs — approximately 100 times more than used motor oil. Runoff from coal-tar-sealed parking lots contains PAH concentrations approximately 65 times higher than from asphalt-based sealcoat. PAHs persist in soil and can migrate through the soil profile to contaminate groundwater.
Health Risks
The EPA has identified 16 priority PAH compounds as hazardous substances. Several are classified as known or probable human carcinogens. Long-term exposure is associated with lung, skin, bladder, and breast cancers, as well as asthma, cardiovascular disease, and immunosuppression. EPA Method 8310 (SW-846) is the primary testing standard.
PFAS — The “Forever Chemicals”
Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) are human-made chemicals with carbon-fluorine bonds — one of the strongest in nature — meaning they do not break down under natural conditions. PFAS have been detected in 99% of Americans tested. Sources include firefighting foams, manufacturing, food packaging, and wastewater biosolids.
Health effects include reproductive problems, kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disruption, immune suppression, and liver damage. In April 2024, the EPA designated PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances and established the first enforceable drinking water standards for PFAS. EPA Method 1633A provides comprehensive testing across 40 compounds.