ASTM E2600-15: Recent Revisions to the Vapor Encroachment Screening Guide

In December 2015, ASTM Subcommittee E50.02 (Real Estate Assessment and Management) approved revisions to the Standard Guide E2600 for Vapor Encroachment on the property involved in real estate transactions. This was the first update in 5 years.

The purpose of of E2600 is to provide practical guidance and a useful process for conducting a vapor encroachment screen (VES) on a property parcel involved in a real estate transaction with respect to chemicals of concern (COC) that may migrate as vapors into the vadose zone of a property as a result of contaminated soil and/or groundwater on or near the property.

We invite you to download our overview of the recent revisions to ASTM E2600. Our summary includes several sections inclusive of the following topics:

• Vadose Zone Clarification
• Terminology
  • Approximate Minimum Search Distance
  • Area of Concern (AOC)
  • Chemical(s) of Concern (COC)
  • Contaminated Property
  • CERCLIS and SEMS
  • Fracture
  • Perferential Pathways
  • Recognized Environmental Condition (REC)
  • Toxicity
  • DNAPL and LNAPL
• Significance and Use
• Tier 1 Screening
• Tier 2 Screening
• Appendices

The E2600-15 Standard Guide for Vapor Encroachment Screening has simplified some of the concepts that made previous versions difficult to adopt and apply in real estate transactions and includes several updates that reflect improved scientific research and the evolution of the regulatory and legal climate on this important topic.