Personnel protection through reconnaissance robotics at superfund remedial sites

Abstract

Investigation, mitigation, and clean-up of hazardous materials at Superfund sites normally requires on-site workers to perform hazardous and sometimes potentially dangerous functions. Such functions include site surveys and the reconnaissance for airborne and buried toxic environmental contaminants. Airborne contaminants of concern usually emanate from spilled materials and require monitoring the air at the perimeter and throughout the clean-up site to ascertain the extent of contamination. Buried contaminants of major concern are often the result of leaking underground drums containing toxic wastes and require “reconnaissance excavations” to determine their location. Workers conducting on-site air monitoring risk dermal, ocular and inhalation exposure to hazardous chemicals, while those performing excavations also risk the potential exposure to fire, explosion, and other physical injury. EPA's current efforts to protect its workers and mitigate these risks include the use of robotic devices. Using robots offers the ultimate in personnel protection by removing the worker from the site of potential exposure, especially during site investigations, when there is almost always a certain encounter with unknown chemical wastes having unknown toxicity. This paper describes the demonstration of a commercially-available robotic platform modified and equipped for air monitoring and the ongoing research for the development of aground penetrating radar (GPR) system to detect buried chemical waste drums. These robotic devices can ultimately be routinely deployed in the field for the purpose of conducting inherently safe reconnaissance activities during Superfund I SARA remedial operations. © 1992 Air & Waste Management Association.