​Industry-Wide Webinar to Examine Results of CIPP Emissions Safety Study

Results of the latest study from Louisiana Tech University's Trenchless Technology Center will be shared via webinar Dec. 17

​Industry-Wide Webinar to Examine Results of CIPP Emissions Safety Study

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The Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University will hold an industry-wide webinar examining the results of recent research on the safety of styrene emissions in cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) Tuesday, Dec. 17, at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

The decision to pursue the new research is partially in response to a study that came out of Purdue University in July 2017 that brought up the issue of potential release of toxic chemicals during the steam-cured CIPP process. NASSCO cited concerns about “inconsistencies” in the Purdue University study and committed to doing further research. 

NASSCO formed a work group consisting of industry leaders to develop the requests for proposals for both Phase 1 and 2 of the project and to select from the multiple responses to ensure the highest levels of integrity in the final selections.

Phase 1 was a four-month study focusing on the review of published literature — including the Purdue literature — pertaining to chemical emissions during CIPP installations using styrene-based resins. The study, completed on April 6, 2018 by researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)’s Center for Underground Infrastructure Research and Education (CUIRE), and the Institute for Underground Infrastructure (IKT) in Germany, found that existing studies did not adequately capture worker exposures or levels in the surrounding areas to which workers or citizens may be exposed. The team further determined that spatial variation of concentrations, and variations in concentrations with different meteorological conditions, are not well determined.

Phase 2 recently concluded and consisted of a larger yearlong in-field study conducted by TTC at Louisiana Tech. The study included measurement of styrene and other organic compounds at multiple CIPP installation sites across the country, representing different pipe diameters and lengths, in order to capture variation in emissions. Measurements were conducted before, during and after curing at the termination manhole, as well as various locations in the surrounding outside area and inside nearby buildings.

Worker exposure was also measured via personal exposure monitors. Finally, dispersion modeling was conducted to estimate compound concentrations at different locations for a wide variety of meteorological conditions. Measured and modeled concentrations were compared to appropriate health-based action levels to determine if any potential health risks exist for workers or citizens in the surrounding communities.

The findings of that study will be shared in the Dec. 17 webinar, which is open to the public. To register, click this link and fill out the form.



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