Texas A&M University

Project Summary (2005-2008)

The Field Services Core provides a link between Texas A&M Superfund Basic Research Program (SBRP) investigators and existing Superfund sites. Federal regulations limit access to chemically contaminated sites to appropriately trained personnel. The Field Services Core provides HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operating Personnel) training to staff and students as required. In addition, this Core maintains appropriate sampling and safety equipment to facilitate collection of environmental or biological samples at contaminated sites. The Core has three primary aims:

1. To obtain complex environmental mixtures from field sites for extraction, fractionation and analysis in basic toxicology studies;
2. To support pilot and field scale testing of chemical intervention technologies; and,
3. To obtain environmental and biological samples to support exposure and risk assessment activities.

The Field Services Core is primarily used to support project research activities. In contrast, the Research Translation Core collects samples to support USEPA risk characterization at specific sites. During the previous 10 years, the Field Services Core has collected samples from more than 50 contaminated sites during more than 100 sampling visits. This Core serves as a resource to allow researchers to obtain information that can be used to extrapolate laboratory results to the field.