November 2021 Land Science Newsletter
Industry Spotlight: Nathan Shamosh
As President of Earth Mitigation Systems, an environmental consulting company and valued Land Science® client, Nathan Shamosh sees the benefits to owning and managing his own vapor intrusion firm, and appreciates the diversity and variety that comes with managing a wide variety of consulting projects over the years. He begins, “I’m fortunate to have developed great relationships with smart people throughout my work experience, and these relationships have allowed me to learn and connect with other like-minded professionals. Ultimately my working relationships have led to hundreds of successful consulting projects. Being able to look back at complex design build projects, or a firm tripling revenues because of specific strategies we implemented, is a gratifying experience.”
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Featured Case Study: Cross-Team Collaboration Moves New Public Library and Town Hall Complex Forward
A growing community near Charlotte, North Carolina was seeking a site to construct a new town hall and public library complex. SUMMIT Engineering, Laboratory & Testing, P.C. (SUMMIT) conducted an environmental assessment at the property in April 2020, confirming that petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contamination was present. SUMMIT recommended installing a vapor intrusion mitigation system (VIMS) to the property development team, knowing it would be the most effective approach to address PHC contaminant vapors. In considering their options, Nitra-Seal, a state-of-the-art VIMS offering proven chemical resistance and vapor intrusion protection, was selected by the development team.
Nitra-Seal: Incorporates a nitrile-modified spray-applied core and dual polyethylene sheets
Nitra-Seal employs a chemically resistant nitrile latex. Nitrile is recognized throughout the environmental engineering industry as being chemically resistant and is often used in personal protective equipment when working on hazardous waste sites (e.g. nitrile gloves). Laboratory testing has shown up to 10X higher chemical resistance when compared to any other vapor barrier material on the market.
Featured Video: Spotlight on Experience Aimee Plowman, Southeast District Manager
Aimee Plowman is the Southeast District Manager of the Land Science® division of REGENESIS, Inc., and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Aimee’s role includes providing technical support in the design and installation of TerraShield, Nitra-Seal, MonoShield and Retro-Coat vapor mitigation systems, and educating the environmental community on the advancements in vapor intrusion barrier technology, implementation, and quality control by making presentations to environmental firms, regulatory agencies, and developers. Aimee received a Master of Science in Geology and a Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. In her free time, she enjoys a variety of outdoor activities such as hiking, running, fishing, and going to the beach.
Featured Project Snapshot: Retro-Coat Utilized to Prevent Harmful TCE and Chloroform Vapor Intrusion
A former industrial manufacturing facility in Greenville, SC was purchased for redevelopment in 2017. Building improvements were planned to include a warehouse, offices and self-storage units to serve a growing commercial area. Prior to purchasing the site in 2017, the current site owners entered into a Voluntary Cleanup Contract and Brownfields agreement with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC). The Brownfields agreement allowed the site owners to purchase the site while receiving SCDHEC liability protection for existing environmental contamination by agreeing to perform certain environmental assessment, mitigation, or remediation activities.
Developed by the R&D Team at Land Science, the Retro-Coat system is the most appropriate coating technology for vapor intrusion protection.
The Retro-Coat Vapor Intrusion Coating System is a complete product line that consists of chemically resistant materials to properly protect existing structures from the threat of contaminant vapor intrusion. A vapor intrusion condition is most commonly found when the existing structure was operating as, or in close proximity to, a dry cleaner, gas station, or manufacturing facility.
Have a Vapor Intrusion Project? Get Started Today!
To receive a custom vapor intrusion solution, please call 949.481.8118 or visit landsciencetech.com/contact-us
September 2021 Land Science Newsletter
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August 2021 Land Science Newsletter
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July 2021 Land Science Newsletter
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June 2021 Land Science Newsletter
For Patrick Lowery, Sr. Environmental Manager with SUMMIT Engineering, Laboratory & Testing, Inc., a multi-disciplinary environmental consulting firm and valued Land Science® client, a career in environmental remediation was sparked by an interest in geology, a field his grandfather worked in. Lowery initially planned to follow his grandfather’s path and become a geologist, but then realized his true passion involved assisting in the cleanup of our planet. He shares, “My grandfather was a geologist for Shell Oil in the Permian Basin, near Midland Texas. Throughout college my focus was to work in the petroleum industry. I took a year off from school after earning my Bachelor of Science in Geology from the University of Alabama and was going to attend Colorado State University for my Masters in Geophysics, however, while working with a consulting geologist that year I found I enjoyed the environmental field.”
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May 2021 Land Science Newsletter
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April 2021 Land Science Newsletter
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March 2021 Land Science Newsletter
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January 2021 Land Science Newsletter
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Land Science Sheds Light on How Office Worker Migration Trends Intensify Vapor Intrusion Concerns
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The “new normal” for office workers post-COVID-19 is expected to look very different from today’s landscape, with leading experts projecting a move away from traditional high-rise offices toward new construction of low-rise industrial parks that enable continued social distancing. Land Science, a division of REGENESIS, is actively addressing the increased vapor intrusion risk resulting from the rising trend in new office park construction on brownfields and other environmentally distressed properties—in an aim to mitigate the long-term health risks these contaminants pose to workers.
COVID-19 is Driving a Trend Away from Traditional Office Workspaces
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a dramatic shift in workplace geography as workers moved from centralized office locations to home-based offices. Stanford economist Nicholas Bloom, a leading researcher studying the work-from-home trend, notes: “[An] incredible 42 percent of the U.S. labor force is now working from home full time.” Bloom also suggests that new office building construction will be altered post-COVID-19 based on an increased desire for social distancing. He states, “instead of building more office skyscrapers – which has been the dominant theme over the past 40 years – I predict that COVID-19 will dramatically shift the trend to industrial parks with low-rise buildings.”
The predicted shift to new office spaces at former industrial parks matches established construction trends in the residential and mixed-use building sectors. Due to inexpensive land, tax credits and other incentives, redevelopment of these former brownfields into living and retail space has been robust during the past decade.
Increase in Risks to Exposure of Potential Toxic Chemical Vapors
This office worker migration trend will result in a significant increased risk for worker exposure to potentially toxic chemical vapors left behind from past industrial activity. Chemical vapors are formed when substances containing chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons or other volatile compounds commonly used in industry are spilled or improperly disposed of. Over time, these chemicals migrate through soil, contaminating groundwater and forming chemical vapor plumes.
Building occupants might be at risk of exposure to indoor air containing these vapors if a building is constructed within a contaminant vapor plume footprint. Inhalation of chemical vapors is often hazardous to human health, even at indoor air concentrations not detected by smell.
Effective Contaminant Vapor Barriers Address Risk
Land Science’s vapor intrusion mitigation systems incorporate the latest technological advances to offer the highest chemical protection available. These advanced systems comprise patented, state-of-the-art materials, including metalized films and nitrile-modified asphalt sealants that offer up to one-hundred times more chemical protection than other vapor intrusion mitigation systems like plastic sheets with taped seams and spray-applied waterproofing “boots.”
While offering the highest level of protection against vapor intrusion, these systems are often easier and faster to install and are priced competitively. Brownfield property developers are rapidly increasing the incorporation of these systems into their building plans as a means to address any potential vapor intrusion risk, known or unknown, and to ensure development stays on schedule.
Preemptive Installation May Be Less Expensive Than Investigation and Monitoring
A vapor mitigation system’s cost is insignificant relative to a new building project, and Land Science’s certified applicators can install these advanced systems quickly without delaying construction.
Comparative cost analyses have shown that it is often less expensive to proactively install a contaminant vapor barrier rather than investigate and monitor whether it is needed. Once installed, these vapor mitigation systems provide a high level of assurance for personal safety. According to the U.S. EPA’s Brownfields Technology Primer: “Incorporating relatively inexpensive mitigation (prevention) techniques into the construction of new buildings, rather than retrofitting them later, will result in significant cost savings and help avoid the occurrence of vapor intrusion in the future.”
ABOUT REGENESIS and LAND SCIENCE: Founded in 1994, REGENESIS is an expert provider of in situ soil, groundwater, and vapor intrusion remediation products and services. Land Science, a division of REGENESIS, offers a full line of vapor intrusion mitigation technologies and is the safe and effective choice for leading engineering, construction, and environmental consulting firms serving a broad range of clients, including developers, insurance companies, manufacturers, municipalities, regulatory agencies, and federal, state and local governments.
©2021 All rights reserved. REGENESIS and PlumeStop, are registered trademarks of Regenesis Bioremediation Products Inc.
Contacts
MEDIA CONTACT:
Leslie Licano, Beyond Fifteen Communications, Inc.
regenesis@beyondfifteen.com; 949.733.8679