Problems Associated with Analysis of Petroleum-Derived Materials in the Environment

As the state of Iowa’s Public Health and Environmental Laboratory, the University Hygienic Laboratory (UHL) annually analyzes several hundred environmental soil and water samples for petroleum-derived fuels and solvents in samples submitted by state and local agencies. UHL has historically provided chromatographic identification and quantitation of petroleum-derived products introduced into the environment as a result of waste discharges, leaks, or spills. Recently, the requirement for identification and quantitation of these materials has become more intensive due to new state regulations and pending federal regulations concerning underground storage tanks.