Vapor testing begins in Minneapolis suburb

A mobile air-quality lab used at the Hurricane Katrina and World Trade Center cleanups arrived in St. Louis Park this week.

TAGA, short for Trace Atmospheric Gas Analyzer, will be used to help federal authorities test basements for chemical vapors. About 300 property owners were alerted last month after regulators detected volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, in groundwater samples. The chemicals do not affect the local drinking water supply, but authorities are concerned about the potential for vapors to seep into structures, where they could be harmful if inhaled.More than two-thirds of the property owners have signed forms allowing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) access to their basements.

The EPA says it plans to report testing results every seven to 10 days during the project. Homeowners will receive individual screening results, but specific addresses will not be included in public reports.

Investigators are also working to identify possible sources of the contamination. VOCs are commonly found in industrial degreasers, metal cleaners and dry-cleaning fluids.

The EPA has three TAGA buses. In addition to work following Hurricane Katrina and at the World Trade Center site, a TAGA bus was also used at the Hart Senate Building anthrax cleanup.