Analytical quantification of the subslab volatile organic vapor concentration from a non-uniform source

• An analytical estimation of the subslab vapor concentration is offered.
• The method allows for non-uniform subsurface source distribution.
• The parameters that determine subslab concentration are identified.

The transport of volatile organic vapors from subsurface to building involves complex processes. Since the release of the draft subsurface vapor intrusion guidance by the U.S. EPA in 2002, great progress has been made in understanding these processes in various field and modeling studies. In these studies, the importance of analyzing and predicting the subslab volatile organic vapor concentration was noted. To quantitatively predict subslab vapor concentration is, however, complicated, especially for sites located over non-uniform vapor sources. This manuscript provides a method to estimate the vapor concentration beneath the subslab using a closed-form analytical solution that can approximate full three-dimensional modeling results, but does not require the use of advanced numerical simulation. This method allows prediction of the subslab vapor concentration profile beneath the slab for various source configurations, given inputs of building slab dimension and source depth. The interaction of the influences of non-uniform source and the slab capping effect on the subslab vapor concentration is addressed.