Join us for the first crossover event for our IAQM and Land Condition Early Career Networks. In collaboration with the Society for Brownfield Risk Assessment (SoBRA), we will be hosting an event aimed at bringing together early career air quality and land condition professionals, to discuss topics pertinent to both. 

We will hear from expert speakers on the following topics: 

1. Uncertainty in Vapour Intrusion Risk Assessment
   Increased attention has been paid to human exposure to toxic chemicals through vapour intrusion over the last decade, from both a technical and legal perspective. This is a consequence of a clear route to inhalation exposure where indoor air is impacted, combined with the technical complexity and uncertainty associated with vapour intrusion risk assessment. This presentation provides a background to understanding vapour intrusion and risk assessment, highlighting areas where uncertainty may lead to either overestimation or underestimation of risk. Practical measures that can be used to minimise uncertainty will be discussed.
2. Sick Building Syndrome
   Whilst most people will be familiar with the term Sick Building Syndrome, little attention is paid in the UK to the presence of 2-ethylhexanol (2-EH) in indoor air and its prominence in causing sickness in both residential and commercial settings. 2-EH, which is highly toxic by inhalation, is readily formed by the reaction between high moisture content concrete floors and specific chemicals present in some vinyl flooring and adhesives. This presentation highlights the investigation and technical aspects of this little-known issue recently identified and remediated during a vapour intrusion investigation of a residential property in the UK.
3. Avenue Coking Works: A Case Study in Land Remediation and Air Quality Monitoring
   An air quality and odour focussed case study of monitoring in the vicinity of the Avenue Coking Works in Chesterfield Derbyshire. The Avenue was one of the most contaminated land sites in Europe. Over the past 25 years it has undergone an extensive contaminated land site investigation and remediation programme in order to clean the site to a sufficient standard to accommodate a new country park and large housing development. The remediation works involved extensive continuous air quality and odour monitoring at a wide network of sites to ensure that the local community were not adversely affected by airborne emissions associated with land disturbance, lagoon drainage, thermal desorption treatment and other remediation processes.                                                               

Sign up now for a chance to connect with fellow early career professionals and discuss interdisciplinary topics. 

Our speakers

Melanie Lipsham is a Geoenvironmental Engineer at Leap Environmental Ltd, a company she joining after graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Earth Sciences (Environmental Geoscience) in 2015. She has worked on a large variety of different brownfield developments projects with LEAP including landfills, petrol stations, gas works and printers, as well as working alongside Local Authorities on Part 2A projects and assisting with their contaminated land strategies. Melanie has experience in contaminated land site investigation and human health, land gas and controlled waters risk assessments, with particular experience in remediation and validation monitoring and reporting.

Dr John Andrews is an Associate at the Environmental Protection Group Ltd, specialising in vapour intrusion and ground gas risk assessment, with over 20 years in contaminated land consultancy and 9 years in organic chemistry research. John has a MSc and PhD in Organic Chemistry (Vancouver, Canada) and a MSc in Environmental Technology (Imperial College, London). He is accredited with SOBRA for vapour intrusion and registered for permanent gases, human health and controlled waters and is currently a member of the SOBRA sub-group for the development of soil vapour GAC. John was active in both the steering group for the development of CIRIA C682:2007 The VOCs Handbook and the committee for BS 10176:2020 Taking soil samples for determination of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

John has recently presented on vapour intrusion at Ground Gas Conference 2019, 2021 and Early Careers SOBRA/Geol Soc/Rem Soc 2018, 2019.

Laurence Caird is and Associate Director at Air Quality Consultants Ltd. He has 15 years’ experience in air quality consultancy, including the assessment of emissions from road traffic, airports, heating and energy plant, and a wide range of industrial sources including the thermal treatment of waste.  He has experience in ambient air quality monitoring for numerous pollutants using a wide range of techniques and is also experienced in the monitoring and assessment of nuisance odours and dust.Laurence is a member of the IES and IAQM, a Chartered Scientist and a former IAQM Committee Member. He is also a contributory author to the IAQM’s guidance on the assessment of odours for planning.