Detecting vinyl chloride by phytoscreening in the shallow critical zone at sites with potential human exposure.

Chlorinated ethene (CE) contaminants are widespread in groundwater, and the occurrence of vinyl chloride (VC), among others, is a well-known issue due to its mobility, persistence, and carcinogenicity. Human exposure to VC may occur through inhalation after soil vapor intrusion into buildings at sites with shallow underground contamination. Soil vapor intrusion risk is traditionally assessed through indoor air and sub-slab sampling (direct evidence) or soil gas and groundwater surveys (indirect evidence).

A quantitative review and meta-analysis on phytoscreening applied to aquifers contaminated by chlorinated ethenes.

Applications and acceptance of phytoscreening, i.e., the use of trees as screening tools for underground contamination, are still limited in many countries due to the lack of awareness of application policies, the intrinsic qualitative nature of the technique, and the paucity of critical analyses on available data.