MEC&F Expert Engineers : 10/05/14

Sunday, October 5, 2014

THE RISK OF SILICA EXPOSURE TO OIL & GAS WORKERS DURING HYDRAULIC FRACTURING ACTIVITIES

THE RISK OF SILICA EXPOSURE TO OIL & GAS WORKERS DURING HYDRAULIC FRACTURING ACTIVITIES





We wrote last week about the potential exposure to harmful radioactive chemicals during oil & gas exploration and production activities.  Radioactivity exposures are just one of the many liabilities facing the insureds, with traffic fatalities, well blowouts and pollution liabilities being at the top of the list.  One very significant liability could also arise from worker exposure to silica and diesel particulates.  This blog addresses the crystalline silica issue. 

In 2012, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released field study findings concerning worker overexposure to airborne silica during hydraulic fracturing operations.  Air samples were collected at 11 North American hydraulic fracturing sites with the following results of 116 samples collected:

        47% showed silica exposures greater than the calculated OSHA PEL;

        79% showed silica exposures greater than the NIOSH REL of 0.05 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3);

        9% of all samples showed silica exposures 10 or more times the PEL, with one sample more than 25 times the PEL;

        31% of all samples showed silica exposures 10 or more times the REL, with one sample more than 100 times the REL.  



To read more, please use this link:








HYDRAULIC FRACTURING AND DUST GENERATION

Hydraulic fracturing has been used for hydrocarbon recovery for decades, but has become widespread in North America due to higher natural gas and oil prices, a modern process known as high volume horizontal slickwater fracking, as well as other technologies that provide more efficient access to oil and gas deposits.  High volumes (up to 5 million gallons of water/sand per well) of water and silica sand are injected under very high pressures (the pressures can exceed 10,000 psi, depending on the depth of the fracturing and the type of formation) via drilled wellbores into shale formations, causing new rock fractures and/or enhancing existing fractures that allow natural gas and oil that was trapped in discontinuous rock voids to be released and collected.  Thousands of tons of crystalline silica are use in the process.





Crystalline silica, A.K.A frac sand, is used as part of the mix that is injected into wells for hydrocarbon recovery.  As low as 6 percent and as high as 15 percent sand as part of the 4-5 million gallons of fracking fluid can be used at a single well location.  This means that between 1,200 tons and 3,000 tons of frac sand will be injected into the subsurface.   Frac sand acts as a proppant, or means of holding open (i.e., “propping up”) fractured rock to allow the oil and natural gas to enter the production well for extraction.  Thousands of pounds of sand are transported by truck loads to well sites.  Based on the volume of frac sand that must be used at each well location, as low as 120 trucks and as high as 300 sand trucks could be used at a site, or more.  The sand is then emptied into a pile, then conveyed and blended with fracking fluids before the high pressure injection; all of these processes can expose well site workers to respirable silica dust.  At some sites, where wind was blowing, we measured respirable silica sand at locations well beyond the 5 acre well pad.  Therefore, the NIOSH field study confirmed other health professionals’ measurements and observations during fracking activities.

The primary dust generation points during the hydraulic fracturing activities include:



        Sand placed in the blender hopper;

        Transfer belt under the sand movers;

        Releases from top hatches,  sand movers;

        Site traffic;

        Sand blowing from sand piles;

        Release from T-belt operations;

        Release from Dragon’s Tail’;

        Dust released from fill ports on the sand movers







THE PROBLEM WITH SILICA AT HYDRAULIC FRACTURING SITES

The big issue facing the oil & gas producers at these fracking or fracing sites is the type of frac sand required for this process.  The oil & gas producers require a very specific sand proppant during fracturing operations to ensure that the shale fractures remain open after the fracing fluid flows out of the formation.  To be able to meet the compressive strength requirements, the frac sand must be made almost of 100 percent of crystalline silica sand.  A review of the MSDS sheets of the frac sands used in the various fracing jobs will reveal that the crystalline silica present in the frac sand can be as high as 95 percent or more.  See for example the MSDS sheet from Mississippi Sand, LLC, showing a greater than 95 percent composition of silica.  The Halliburton frac sand MSDS sheet shows the crystalline sand composition varying between 60 and 100 percent.







Close view of the proppant sand used at hydraulic fracturing sites.  It is almost 100 percent crystalline silica.

Since the OSHA PEL-TWA (the permissible exposure to dust over a worker’s shift) depends on the amount of silica present in the dust, it can be easily seen that the hydraulic fracturing industry is facing a very significant, perhaps insurmountable problem regarding the worker exposures to crystalline silica.  For example, assuming a 95 percent crystalline silica content in the frac sand, the respirable dust level should be about 0.1 mg/m3.  This is an extremely low dust level that is impossible to meet.  All the frac sand applications we have inspected at these sites evidence 10 to 100 times higher levels than the 0.1 mg/m3 OSHA PEL-TWA.

Importantly, the Halliburton MSDS sheet for frac sand states that the frac sand may become airborne without a cloud and provides the following caution:

This product contains quartz, cristobalite, and/or tridymite which may become airborne without a visible cloud.  Avoid breathing dust.  Avoid creating dusty conditions.  Use only with adequate ventilation to keep exposures below recommended exposure limits.  Wear a NIOSH certified, European Standard EN 149, or equivalent respirator when using this product. 

Source:  Halliburton MSDS sheet for Frac Sand.







Silica Exposure & Silicosis Risk to Workers

Workers who are exposed to high levels of respirable crystalline silica may be at risk for silicosis, an occupational lung disease.  Symptoms may take years to develop and include inflamed lungs, severe shortness of breath, cough, fever, and weight loss.  Scarring lesions reduce the lung’s oxygen intake ability, and can result in susceptibility to tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis and even death in acute cases.  Silicosis has no cure.  A silicosis damaged section of a lung is shown below and is compared to a healthy lung.





Based on their field studies, NIOSH, together with OSHA, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration, have issued an alert regarding fracking sand.

Regulatory Action and Oil & Gas Operator Recommendations

NIOSH reported their findings to hydraulic fracturing operators, along with recommendations as to site evaluation and control of crystalline silica exposure.  Those measures included effective respiratory protection program, dust reduction through capping unused sand mover fill ports and nozzles, reduce the drop height between the sand transfer belt and T-belts and blender hoppers close the thief hatches, substitution of silica sand with ceramic, fresh water application around well sites and limiting time spent by workers in dusty areas.  Other recommended practices include enclosure of dust release areas and use of installed dust collection and ventilation systems.

If silica dust exposure levels have been determined to be a workplace hazard at a given site, OSHA 29 CFR 1910.134 Respiratory Protection Standard requires that employers provide correct, NIOSH-approved respirators as well as respirator fit testing, training and medical evaluations.  Basic respirator guidelines include use of an N95 NIOSH-certified respirator for crystalline silica airborne exposures at concentrations less than or equal to 0.5 milligrams per cubic meter of air (mg/m3).  Silica levels exceeding 0.5 mg/m3 require use of a full-face piece respirator that provides protection for up to 2.5 milligrams per cubic meter of air (mg/m3).

For additional protection and comfort, a PAPR equipped with high-efficiency filters and tightfitting face piece may also be used within concentrations of up to 2.5 mg/m3.  When working within environments with concentrations of up to 25 mg/m3, a supplied-air respirator in pressure-demand or positive-pressure mode may be used.







OSHA's Proposed Crystalline Silica Rule: Construction

OSHA is proposing two standards to protect workers from exposure to respirable crystalline silica-one for construction, and the other for general industry and maritime-in order to allow employers to tailor solutions to the conditions in their workplaces.  The final silica standard is expected in 2016, after the recent hearings on the proposed rule are reviewed by OSHA. 

About 1.85 million workers are currently exposed to respirable crystalline silica in construction workplaces.  Over 640,000 of these workers are estimated to be exposed to silica levels that exceed OSHA's proposed permissible exposure limit (PEL).







These exposures occur during common construction operations such as: Using masonry saws; using hand-operated grinders; tuckpointing; using jackhammers; using rotary hammers or drills; operating vehicle-mounted drilling rigs; milling; rock crushing; drywall finishing using silica-containing material; and use of heavy equipment during earthmoving.  As was stated above, the NIOSH field investigation revealed some critical exposure issues facing the fracking industry.  The proposed rule is expected to save nearly 700 lives and prevent 1,600 new cases of silicosis per year once the full effects of the rule are realized.  Of these, over 560 lives would be saved and about 1,080 cases of silicosis would be prevented among construction workers.

Major Provisions of the Proposed Construction Standard

The proposed standard for construction includes provisions for employers to:

        Measure the amount of silica that workers are exposed to if it may be at or above an action level of 25 Ī¼g/m3 (micrograms of silica per cubic meter of air), averaged over an 8-hour day;

        Protect workers from respirable crystalline silica exposures above the PEL of 50 Ī¼g/m3, averaged over an 8-hour day;

        Limit workers' access to areas where they could be exposed above the PEL;

        Use dust controls to protect workers from silica exposures above the PEL;

        Provide respirators to workers when dust controls cannot limit exposures to the PEL;

        Offer medical exams-including chest X-rays and lung function tests-every three years for workers exposed above the PEL for 30 or more days per year;

        Train workers on work operations that result in silica exposure and ways to limit exposure; and

        Keep records of workers' silica exposure and medical exams.



As of today’s blog, the oil & gas producers are vehemently lobbying to exempt them from these new rules or not to issue any more rules.  Dust control, especially at the low levels of exposure recommended by OSHA is challenging and complex.  Workers Compensation insurers be aware.





Allen Schultz, a retired foundry worker and United Steelworkers union member from Waukesha, Wis., says he saw employers try to bypass even the 40-year-old standards. “One time the company hired an outside company of furnace repair experts to teach our workers how to do a better job of removal and rebuild. They had their people in white plastic airtight suits, gloves and booties with forced, filtered clean air into their helmets,” Schultz said in written testimony.

“They built an airtight overpressure clear plastic room where they would put their outfits on and off. They were working next to our workers who were white with dust everywhere from the jackhammers and the tamping machinery and, maybe, a damp sweaty respirator hanging around their necks. They weren't hired back again. I don't think the company liked our guys seeing all the safety precautions their people had to take.”

And the lack of control took its toll, Schultz said. “It became apparent that many of our senior guys were suffering breathing problems.  Many were dying around the time of their 25 years either just before or after they retired,” Schultz testified during the hearings on the proposed OSHA rule.







Metropolitan Engineering, Consulting & Forensics (MECF)

Providing Competent, Expert and Objective Investigative Engineering and Consulting Services

P.O. Box 520

Tenafly, NJ 07670-0520

Tel.: (973) 897-8162

Fax: (973) 810-0440



We are happy to announce the launch of our twitter account.  Please make sure to follow us at @MetropForensics

 Metropolitan appreciates your business.

Feel free to recommend our services to your friends and colleagues.

We know you need to process damage claims quickly and knowing the facts is now faster than ever – within 24 hours of site visit.  Our Pegasos Forensic Investigation Services (PFIS) feature:

·         Expert Forensic Investigators on-site.

·         Defensible, Readable, Conclusive Reports.

·         Fixed-Prices starting at $499 per chimney or roof inspection (volume discounts are also available).  Flood loss assessments start at $999.0.  HVAC equipment only inspections start at $299 for local (within one hour one-way drive) assignments.

·         10-State Coverage Area.

·         All of our employees and associates are subjected to full FBI background investigations and security clearance.

METROPOLITAN ENGINEERING, CONSULTING & ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

METROPOLITAN ENGINEERING, CONSULTING & ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES

Engineering, Property & Casualty Investigations, Assessment, Remediation, Litigation and Indoor-Air Expert Engineers



Bill Stephan, PhD, PE, CIH, CHMM, JD, MBA

Principal Engineer



P.O. Box 520

Tenafly, New Jersey 07670-0520

Phone: (973) 897-8162

Fax: (973) 810-0440




______________________________________________________________________



Firm Overview


The engineering and forensic firm of Metropolitan Forensics and Consulting Engineering and Environmental Services was established for the purpose of providing a high value service to the insurance industry and to the insured companies or individuals. Our founding principal (Bill Stephan) is a licensed professional engineer in several states, including, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.



We specialize in the in-situ remediation of petroleum and chlorinated spills, the defense of liability claims, the investigation and defense of first or third party insurance claims and the handling of subrogation claims.  We are also experts on vapor intrusion evaluation, vapor phase and transport and in design on vapor mitigation systems.  Additionally, we offer forensic engineering services, including age-dating of contaminant releases, construction defects, oversight, evaluation of remedial alternatives, sub-slab ventilation system design and installation.  The list of our core services is:



  • Cause and Origin Investigations
  • Construction Failure Analysis (Residential, Industrial and Commercial)
  • Structural Integrity Evaluation
  • Site Investigation
  • Tank removals and tank installations; licensed and insured to perform entire UST work
  • In-Situ Remediation of Soil and Groundwater
  • Vapor intrusion, indoor air evaluation and mitigation
  • Causation
  • Forensic Investigations (age-dating)
  • Oversight
  • Review of Remedial Action Work Plans
  • Reserve Estimation
  • Cost Allocation
  • RAWP Preparation
  • Site Remediation
  • Cleanup Level Development and Negotiation
  • Subrogation
  • Expert Witness/Litigation Support
  • Licensed Site Remediation Professional (LSRP) Services

Additional Specialty Service Areas

Age Dating
Boilers & Burners
Bridges
Building Codes
Building Inspections


Construction Accident
   Reconstruction
Construction Defects
Construction Delay Claims
Construction Failures
Construction Injuries
Contractor Performance Issues
Corrosion


Defective Designs
Defective Roadway Design
   Evaluations


Earthquake
Electrical Accidents/Injuries
Electrical Equipment Failures
Electrical Fires
Elevators, Escalators
   & Conveyors
Embedded Software Hazards
   & Analysis
Equipment Failures
Errors and Omissions
Explosions

Failure Analysis
Fire
Fire Codes
Fire Protection Systems
Fire Suppression Systems

Flood Damage Assessment

Foundation Systems

Gas Systems

Hailstorm damage

Heating & Ventilation Systems
Heavy Construction
Highway/Roadway Design
Human Factors


Indoor Air Quality
Laboratory Services
Ladders, Scaffolding Falls
   & Failures
Lightning

Mechanical Defect Evaluations
Metallurgical Age Dating
Mold Causation
Natural Disasters/Weather
   Related Issues
Nuclear Energy
Occupational Hazards
   & Illness

Piping
Playground Equipment Injuries
Plumbing
Product Failures
Roofing Problems & Failures
Safety Codes
Safety & Human Factors
   Engineering
Scalding
Scene Mapping and Photographs
Sick Building Syndrome
Sports Equipment Injuries
Standardized Codes
Steam Systems
Subrogation Issues


Transportation Issues
Trips, Slips & Falls
Underground Storage Tanks
Utilities Expertise
Vibration
Water Damage
Windstorm



Mission Statement


Our mission is to work as an extension of our clients to expeditiously achieve the most economically favorable resolution of claims on their behalf and on behalf of their insured. We have developed and will continue to create new solutions to the technical problems and issues which are facing the insurance industry and the insureds today.  

Metropolitan provides forensic engineering work (age-dating or fingerprinting), site remediation, auditing, cost control and litigation support services to insurance carriers, their insureds and to private or public companies.  In its risk management role, examines, manages and audits environmental claims to ensure that assessment and remediation services provided to both carriers and policy holders are reasonable and necessary, properly rendered and appropriately charged. 



In its litigation support role, Metropolitan assists carriers and their counsel to ensure that litigious disputes are resolved fairly and reimbursement benefits are provided when appropriate.  The corporations service area includes the entire United States, with our corporate office located in Northern New Jersey.  The Firm's professional staff also travels regularly throughout the United States on assignment.


Forensics at Metropolitan


There are many issues associated with disputes over responsibility for cleanup. Who, what, when, where, and how chemicals were released can be investigated. The tools of forensic investigation include mathematical models, statistical models, fate and transport calculations, chromatography, lead isotope analyses, time of travel assessments, library search site characterization, tracer additives, and recently developed software applications.



Effective forensic project management should include an evaluation of multiple forensic tools based on site specific circumstances. The process of evaluation and the ultimate selection of the forensic tool are critical to a successful outcome. When project budgets allow, combining forensic methods for corroborative evidence can substantially strengthen your client’s position in an effort to prevent or support litigation. The effective forensic consultant must be well acquainted with an ever expanding list of analytical methods, environmental regulations, assessment procedures and remedial technologies.



The forensic field is one that utilizes a wide range of scientific tools to identify and characterize complex adverse environmental events. Some of the scientific disciplines involved in forensics include engineering principles (biological, physical and chemical), hydrology, lithology, geology, site history, site practices, mathematics, and statistics. These areas may be combined with technologies such as respiratory analyses, chromatography/mass spectrometry and chemical fingerprinting methods to answer complex questions with the ultimate goal of establishing responsibility for a particular event. Accurate, defensible forensic analyses are an essential component of any strategy that attempts to resolve the extent of the insurer or insured client responsibilities in the cleanup of contaminants.


Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our forensic services.



Property Damage Services at Metropolitan

Metropolitan assists property owners, claims professionals, businesses, and attorneys in   the assessment of the cause & origin (C&O), extent of damage and required restoration after pipe bursts, settlements, manufacturing and construction failures, fire, flood, earthquake, or storm damage.  Our teams of engineers have extensive experience in the many systems that make up a building including structural, mechanical and electrical systems.   We also have the necessary background to evaluate property damage to items such as communications towers or solar panels. We can help determine alternative, appropriate, and cost effective solutions for repair or restoration of any damaged property, both commercial and residential. 

Providing Competent, Expert and Objective Investigative Engineering and Consulting Services.

Our experts are multi-skilled, competent, and objective professionals who apply their analytical and common sense skills to reconstruct, determine the root cause, and document the events that give rise to property, casualty, and liability claims.  Thorough investigations and detailed measurements/research help us distinguish between pre-existing conditions and sudden and accidental losses.


Our investigations are:

·         Comprehensive & Accurate

·         Legible & Easy to Understand

·         Timely Performed

·         Delivered Quickly

·         Cost Effective

·         Clear & Concise

·         Developed by Professionals

·         Dependable

·         Our own uniform reporting system saves time and money.


Our Fast Track Investigation and Uniform Format Reporting systems allow us to conduct and deliver a comprehensive response to the assigned claim.  In most cases, we will obtain findings based on a site visit, visual observations, photographs, interviews, and field measurements.  Further investigations and testing will be provided upon request and approval by the client.



Forensic Investigation of Property Damage Claims

Metropolitan Consulting, Engineering & Forensics understands your need to complete a claim investigation accurately and efficiently as possible.  Whether it is accident reconstruction, damage due to environmental forces such as wind, water, hail, snow, tornado, etc.; fire origin & cause investigation or any other claim, the engineers at Metropolitan understand both you and your client want to resolve the claim.  The analysis you receive from Metropolitan will be accurate and complete, giving you the information needed in the claim adjustment and analysis.

Our services have extended beyond the forensic analysis phase into the remediation and repair phase of many large loss claims.  Upon the completion of the cause and origin (C&O) investigation, Metropolitan can provide our clients with complete working drawings and specifications needed to repair or rebuilt damaged buildings or other structures.  Metropolitan Consulting & Engineering’ staff possesses many-many years of experience in rehabilitation design, construction management, and project oversight to ensure the loss is restored in a timely and cost-effective manner without sacrificing quality.  Building code knowledge allows us to identify possible code upgrades as needed.  Metropolitan understands constructability and realizes making an insured whole goes beyond forensic investigation and design. We pride ourselves in providing practical solutions contractors can understand and follow.

At the forefront of available technology, we provide professionals and staff capable of handling a variety of engineering evaluations.  Our reports are clear, concise, complete and efficiently produced.  Our engineering objectives are achieved in an ethical manner consistent with the traditions and character of engineering professionals.

Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our property damage services.


Extensive Experience helping Sureties

Metropolitan also has extensive experience helping sureties fulfill their bond obligations resolve disputes after a contractor has defaulted.  This work includes the evaluation of contractor bid pricing, evaluation of the contractor’s ability to perform work, risk assessment, evaluation of termination, construction completion services, claim and litigation support services, loss recovery services, evaluation of payment bond claims, negotiation and settlement of payment bond claims, and construction defects investigation services.  Metropolitan has provided these services for commercial, development, educational, and assisted living projects.



Forensic Engineering Experience Case Studies


Metropolitan staff has developed and utilized scientific methods to assist clients in a variety of ways related to their claim issues. The following is a partial list of such projects:

  • Provided expert witness services for plaintiff seeking remediation of contaminated groundwater that caused indoor air inhalation problems;
  • Testified that engineering and scientific evidence was improperly collected and analyzed and was inadequate to show the age of the release;
  • Origin and cause of retaining wall failures.  
  • Lightning damage to structures or electrical systems and equipment
  • Roof failure or collapse as a result of accumulated load, additional weight and snow drift at hundreds of commercial and residential properties.
  • Demonstrated that solvents in groundwater at client's property originated from off-site dry-cleaner and that client's site actually provided remediation for the off-site release of dry cleaning solvent;
  • Expert witness for property owner impacted by industrial waste disposal from industrial manufacturer;
  • Demonstrated that environmental analysis by a previous consultant for a manufacturing site was inadequate; as a result, the lender's concerns were alleviated and financing proceeded;
  • Chemical "age-dating" and contaminant transport analyses of petroleum in groundwater at a gas station showed that contaminants originated from other parties;
  • Age-dated petroleum release at a former gas station to show that the previous owner of the gas station caused groundwater contamination;
  • Age-dated petroleum releases at an industrial facility to show that the on-site plume was the result of an off-site source;
  • Prepared age-dating reports for over one-hundred residential fuel oil spills;
  • Assisted insurance companies attorneys in defending subrogation claims; was able to demonstrate that the forensic data collected by the first party consultant were collected and analyzed using invalid methods;
  • Demonstrated that structural damage to a residence was from a source other than the alleged high lake level
  • Collected evidence (for the primary responsible party) that identified other responsible parties to share in the cost of a Superfund cleanup;
  • Review of the site data at a bulk petroleum facility indicated that the site releases were not the result of regular oil transfer operations and that they were caused by the negligent actions of the insured’s agents; the case was settled in favor of the insurance company;
  • Was able to demonstrate that the majority of the removal actions at petroleum release sites were neither reasonable nor necessary; as a result of our opinion, the insurance client settled the claim in favorable terms;
  • At several drycleaner sites we were able to demonstrate that the age of the release was much earlier than the parties originally believed; as a result, the insurance client settled the claim at a fraction of the alleged liability;
  • We performed numerous flood and wind damage assessments at commercial and residential properties.
Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our forensic engineering services.




Site Remediation Services


 Characterizing and remediating contaminated sites involve some of the most complex and difficult issues for environmental lawyers and their clients. Problem areas include responding to regulators; negotiating enforcement settlements; negotiating or litigating cost allocation and recovery claims; working with the insured or insurer client, lawyers and regulators to develop efficient, cost-effective remediation approaches; and selling, buying, or developing contaminated properties.



Metropolitan staff has developed and applied an innovative approach to the use of sodium persulfate for the sequential in-situ treatment of subsurface contaminants through chemical oxidation followed by enhanced biological degradation through sulfate reduction. This approach has broad applicability to a wide range of contaminants, and shows strong cost-saving benefits through reducing the initial volume of chemical oxidant necessary and enhancing the in-situ biological degradation of contaminants.



Through proper subsurface geochemical characterization and chemical dosing design, the approach focuses on utilizing the oxidant for immediate mass reduction at the source area, followed by degradation or polishing of the residual contamination using sulfate reducing bacteria.  Depending upon the oxidant activation method, this approach is applicable to petroleum hydrocarbons including both volatiles and PAHs, chlorinated volatile organic compounds (CVOCs) including chlorinated ethene, ethane and methane groups, as well as PCBs.


Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our Site Remediation Services.





Vapor Intrusion and Indoor-Air Studies


Vapor intrusion has received increased attention over the last few years near contaminated sites because some contaminants have the potential to migrate into nearby buildings and negatively affect indoor air quality. The accumulation of these volatile vapors in buildings can result in significant safety and health concerns.
To properly evaluate vapor intrusion a thorough evaluation of the building's ventilation system and subsurface conditions needs to be conducted by a knowledgeable professional in accordance with state and federal established procedures. 
The evaluation process typically includes a thorough building chemical inventory, the advancement of soil gas probes and the collection of soil gas samples. When indoor air quality problems are identified they can normally be resolved through the modification/installation of a properly designed ventilation system.
Metropolitan is well experienced with U.S. EPA and State vapor intrusion investigation techniques. We have completed numerous vapor intrusion and indoor air quality studies at commercial and residential properties. We have the experience to identify and resolve indoor vapor intrusion problems and the practical know-how to resolve indoor quality issues in an efficient and cost effective manner.
Contact us online or call 973-897-8162 to learn more about our Vapor Intrusion and Indoor Air Studies.




Metropolitan Engineering, Consulting, Forensics, and Environmental Remediation Services

Remediation and Forensic Expert  Engineers

P.O. Box 520

Tenafly, New Jersey 07670-0520

Ph.: (973) 897-8162

Fax: (973) 810-0440




Contact: Dr. Bill Stephan, PhD, PE, JD, CIH, MBA, CHMM



Insurance claim examiners, insurance adjusters and risk managers use Metropolitan for determining cause, evaluating the extent of damage, determining the age of the release, separating unrelated damage, analyzing loss scopes and managing restoration data, determining costs to repair, restore or replace, and preparing for insurance appraisals.



Attorneys call on Metropolitan for help when preparing for Litigation and Alternative Dispute Resolution such as arbitration and mediation