Chemicals are found everywhere. They purify drinking water, increase crop production, and simplify household chores. But chemicals can also be hazardous to humans or the environment if used or released improperly. Hazards can occur during production, storage, transportation, use, or disposal. You and your community are at risk if a chemical is used unsafely or released in harmful amounts into the environment where you live, work, or play.

Hazardous materials in various forms can cause death, serious injury, long-lasting health effects, and damage to buildings, homes, and other property. Many products containing hazardous chemicals are used and stored in homes routinely. These products are also shipped daily on the nation's highways, railroads, waterways and pipelines.

Chemical manufacturers are one source of hazardous materials, but there are many others, including service stations, hospitals, and hazardous materials waste sites.

Varying quantities of hazardous materials are manufactured, used or stored at an estimated 4.5 million facilities in the United States — from major industrial plants to local dry cleaning establishments or gardening supply stores.

Hazardous materials come in the form of explosives, flammable and combustible substances, poisons, and radioactive materials. These substances are most often released as a result of transportation accidents or because of chemical accidents in plants.

CAS is prepared to respond to handling your chemical needs from the identification and profiling for disposal, to emergency cleanup. Our crews are trained to handle any situation you find yourself in.

• Identification/Profiling
• Emergency Cleanup
• Disposal

Since the regulations concerning Underground Storage Tanks were enacted in 1988 by the EPA, all UST owners must take responsibility to assure that they are in compliance. The regulations incorporate tank registration, leak detection and spill reporting, and correction of release incidents reinforced by inspections, investigations and fines. In addition, each State has enacted its own regulations regarding storage tank management. CAS has the knowledge and experience to support our clients in all areas of UST and AST management.

Our environmental team has developed an exceptional record for resolving environmental compliance issues associated with petroleum and chemical storage tanks. By effectively combining technical and managerial experience with a thorough understanding of the regulations and reimbursement programs, we have worked with numerous clients and regulators to complete cleanup and/or closure in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

CAS offers the following Services:

• Turnkey Project Management services include excavation, sampling, reporting and preparation of Petroleum Storage Tank Reimbursement Fund application forms.
• Site Assessment and Closure Documentation provides complete reporting including site maps, causes, and origins of any leaks, UST condition, soil type, geology and hydrology of area, assessment of risk, sample results and interpretation, and required State documents.

Tank Decontamination and Recycling will eliminate future liabilities with proper manifesting and disposal.

Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is a report prepared for a real estate holding which identifies potential or existing environmental contamination liabilities. The analysis, often called a Phase I ESA, typically addresses both the underlying land as well as physical improvements to the property; however, techniques applied in a Phase I ESA never include actual collection of physical samples or chemical analyses of any kind. Scrutiny of the land includes examination of potential soil contamination, groundwater quality, surface water quality and sometimes issues related to hazardous substance uptake by biota. The examination of a site may include: definition of any chemical residues within structures; identification of possible asbestos containing building materials; inventory of hazardous substances stored or used on site; assessment of mold and mildew; and evaluation of other indoor air quality parameters. Contaminated sites are often referred to as "brownfield sites." In severe cases, brownfield sites may be added to the National Priorities List where they will be subject to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund program.

Actual sampling of soil, air, groundwater and/or building materials is typically not conducted during a Phase I ESA. The Phase I ESA is generally considered the first step in the process of environmental due diligence. This type of study is alternatively called a Level I Environmental Site Assessment. Standards for performing a Phase I site assessment have been promulgated by the US EPA and are based in part on ASTM in Standard E1527-05. If a site is considered contaminated, a Phase II Environmental Site Assessment may be conducted to confirm whether property under consideration for acquisition/disposal, or construction is contaminated as indicated by the Phase One ESA. This phase shall only be performed by an environmental specialist, and includes but is not limited to soil sampling, grand water sampling, indoor air quality testing, drums and waste materials testing, asbestos testing, underground tank testing.

The Phase Two ESA has the following elements:

• Sample and Analysis Plan Review
• Field Sampling and Analytical Results Review
• Phase Two Report review.

The final report should include results of the investigation, a cost benefit analysis, if further investigation is needed; and recommendations for future actions. This phase does not intend to identify the extent of contamination.

CAS has the trained professional staff to complete both Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments