Sam Baushke, PE, (Michigan) will co-present “Advancing Vapor Intrusion Assessments in Michigan with Passive Sampling Techniques” at the Joint Annual Meeting of the Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals (MAEP) and the Michigan Branch of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (MI AIPG). The event features a social hour, dinner, and technical presentation on October 4, 2023, at the Waldenwoods Banquet and Conference Center in Howell, Michigan. Sam’s co-presenter will be Sheryl Doxtader of the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. Their talk will be the main technical presentation for this event.

Sam is a Senior Environmental Engineer with more than 16 years of experience assessing and remediating environmentally impacted sites. He specializes in vapor intrusion (VI) projects, employing both conventional and innovative investigation and mitigation methods. Sam has successfully overseen two projects in Michigan that implemented passive sampling and has managed various VI initiatives for the state of Michigan. These projects encompassed active mitigation, building pressurization cycling, and development and validation of Standard Operating Procedures for VI investigations. He has also conducted audits of laboratory protocols to analyze chemicals beyond the scope of USEPA Method TO-15.

The Joint MI AIPG and MAEP Meeting is an annual evening event that brings the two groups together for a presentation and change to network.

MAEP promotes best practices in the environmental fields and encourages the next generation of environmental professionals, and keeps members informed of the latest information affecting the field in Michigan.

AIPG represents the professional interests of practicing geoscientists in every discipline and promotes the role of geology and geologists in society.

The presentation will be an overview of the use of passive sampling techniques for assessing subsurface vapor intrusion to indoor air. We will explore the practical applications of passive samplers in collecting soil vapor, indoor air, and outdoor air samples, and compare them to traditional Summa canister/TO-15 methods. Theoretical considerations such as sampler and sorbent selection, sample duration, and uptake rate verification will be discussed, emphasizing the importance of accurate and representative measurements. We will also touch on laboratory considerations for obtaining high-quality data, including analytical techniques and quality control measures. Real-world case studies from the EGLE Jackson District, including the Jackson Cleaner Site and Former Sparkling Brite Dry Cleaner Site, will be presented to demonstrate the successful identification of subsurface vapor sources using passive samplers. Sampling of soil and groundwater used to verify the source of impacted soil gas at the Former Sparkling Brite Dry Cleaner Site will also be presented.

More Information

About the event: Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals – 7th Annual Joint MI AIPG & MAEP Meeting
About the MAEP: Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals – Home (maep.org)
About the MI AIPG: Michigan Section home page (aipg.org)
To learn more about vapor intrusion contact Sam at SBaushke@Geosyntec.com.

Learn more about Sam: Sam Baushke, PE | LinkedIn