I emailed all the environmental consultants in the area. Several of them followed up my inquiry with a phone call. This is what I learned about getting the air quality in my house tested for gasoline vapours and benzene:
- there are tests using a cannister device where I could gather the air samples myself. However, these would not be admissable as evidence in a legal context as there is no way to verify that I took the samples where I did, when I did, and if I had attempted to skew the results or they were an honest sample
- a professional could come to take air quality samples inside my home. These are considered reliable evidence. The cost for this would be approximately $ 2200.00, including a written report of the lab results. Of course this would be a matter of luck that the testing personnel would be here during a gasoline infiltration to gather the samples. Not every fill results in an infiltration, which seems to be dependent on the wind direction. Potentially I could spend many thousands of dollars before I had documentation that gasoline vapours were strongly present in my home during a tanker filling.
- there are no grants for a homeowner in my situation
- the burden of proof is that I must establish that gasoline vapours are entering my house. The gas station or parent company has no responsibility to disprove the presence of gasoline vapours on or in my property.
At no time has the TSSA or Ministry of the Environment taken any air tests to prove that the air quality adjacent to the vent is safe during a tanker refuelling. I know that it is not.
Black Picket Fence 