ABSTRACT
The New Jersey experience reinforces the perspective of the complex nature of soil contamination. Petroleum products significantly contribute to such contamination; New Jersey’s giant petrochemical industry, second largest in the nation, dominates the economy of this state. The magnitude of chemical use, and consequently the amount of waste products involved, is staggering. Complications of dealing with soil contamination include problems with sampling, detection, and analysis; determining fate and transport of individual components or mixtures; and evaluating actual exposure in order to be able to undertake valid risk assessments. New Jersey has a substantial data base with which to begin understanding soil contamination and its interactions with other environmental media. New Jersey now has the most comprehensive monitoring program in the nation for volatile organic chemicals and other organics in drinking water. New Jersey state regulations incorporate the federal exemptions for flow-through process tanks, wastewater treatment tanks, and electrical equipment.
