An Environmentally Friendly Decontamination Protocol for Ground Water Sampling Devices

Several detergent‐washing/air‐drying decontamination protocols were tested to determine their ability to remove residual contamination from two types of ground water sampling devices. We tested a relatively simply constructed device, a bailer, and a much more complex, and theoretically more difficult to decontaminate, bladder pump. The devices were decontaminated after sampling ground water that was contaminated with organics that varied in their hydrophobic nature and propensity to be sorbed by the materials in the devices. These studies showed that a hot‐detergent wash, hot‐water rinse, and hot‐air drying protocol was effective.