Basic Fundamental Aspects of Environmental Forensic Investigations Check Access

As our environmental awareness continues to grow there has been an ever increasing number of pollutants entering the environment, and environmental forensics is now a firmly established discipline. Any environmental investigation will address what the product is, where it came from, how long it has been there, and whether it is degrading. This chapter will summarize the important tools that should be present in the analytical toolbox of any forensic geoscientist, as well as providing an overview of developments using these techniques. The techniques and topics reviewed include gas chromatography; gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry; radioisotopes; sediment dating; ¹⁴C dating; stable isotopes; biodegradation; VOCs and vapour intrusion; and shale gas, shale oil and hydrofracking.