Petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) are comprised of a broad range of thousands of different chemical compounds that originate from naturally occurring geological sources including crude oil, bitumen, natural gas and coal.

Contamination from PHCs is one of the most common types of soil and groundwater pollution in Canada. Mixtures of PHCs contain a wide range of chemical structures and properties, which can impact the environment in different ways.  They can vary in their potential for distribution, bioavailability, toxicity and persistence.

At PPB Analytical, we utilize either purge and trap, or gas chromatograph methods to determine PHC levels depending on the carbon ranges listed below:

• Gasoline Range Organics (GRO) by method 8015 – A purge and trap method to quantify the level of hydrocarbons in the C6-C10 range.
• Diesel Range Organics (DRO) by method 8015 – A gas chromatography (GC) method utilizing a flame ionization detector to quantify hydrocarbons in the C10-C28 range.