Suitability of Polyvinyl Chloride Well Casings for Monitoring Munitions in Ground Water

A number of samples of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) well casings used for ground water monitoring that varied in schedule, diameter or manufacturer were placed in contact with low concentrations of aqueous solutions of TNT, RDX, HMX and 2,4-DNT for 80 days. Analysis indicated that there was more loss of TNT and HMX with the PVC casing than with the glass controls, but that the amount lost was, for the most part, equivalent among different types. A second experiment was performed to determine if these losses were due to sorption or if biodegradation was involved. Several different ground water conditions were simulated by varying salinity, initial pH and dissolved oxygen content. The only case where there was an in-creased loss of any substance due to the presence of PVC casing was with the TNT solution under non-sterile conditions. The extent of loss was small, however, considering the length of the equilibration period. This increased loss is thought to be associated with increased microbial degradation rather than sorption. Several samples of PVC casing were also leached with ground water for 80 days. No detectable interferences were found by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Therefore, it is concluded that PVC well casings are suitable for monitoring ground water for the presence of these munitions.