1-4 – Chemistry QA – Environmental Forensics

Environmental Forensics

When environmental contamination is discovered, uncovering what happened, where it occurred, and who is responsible is a high-stakes—and often complicated—problem. Is it from legacy pollution, an active release, or a mix of multiple sources?

The answers aren’t always obvious. Understanding the cause and accountability starts with asking the right questions—and using the right data.

What We Do

At Environmental Standards, our Forensic Chemistry Team turns complex environmental data into clear, defensible answers. Blending chemical expertise, advanced analytics, and strategic insight, we help clients uncover the facts and move forward with confidence.

Our Senior Forensic Chemists and data scientists specialize in large-scale datasets—often involving tens of thousands of samples and millions of records. From data collection to expert testimony, we handle it all with a forensic focus: not just analyzing the numbers, but interpreting what they mean for source identification, liability, and environmental behavior.

Our Forensic Capabilities

We work across a wide range of chemical and environmental issues, including:

• Differentiating hydrocarbon sources (petrogenic vs. pyrogenic)
• Distinguishing biogenic vs. thermogenic methane
• Separating chlorinated solvent plumes
• Identifying sources of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, and other organohalogens
• Assessing weathering stages and how exposure/toxicity changes over time
• Evaluating chemical transport (e.g., hydrogeologic vectors, diffusion, fractionation)

Our Approach

Unlike traditional remediation or regulatory data reviews, forensic data interpretation requires higher scrutiny. We focus on:

• Determining which data represent real chemical signals vs. statistical noise
• Validating laboratory methods and data quality
• Selecting only the most meaningful data for modeling and interpretation
• Applying forensic-specific methods to reduce ambiguity and increase clarity
• Conducting laboratory data audits to ensure analytical integrity for key analytes like alkylated polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs); geochemical biomarkers; paraffins, isoparaffins, aromatics, napthenes, and olefins (PIANO) compounds, and compound-specific isotopes (e.g., ¹³C/¹²C, ²H/¹H, ³⁷Cl/³⁵Cl).

Litigation Support & Expert Witness Services

Environmental Standards provides strategic support to attorneys, insurers, and technical consultants involved in toxic tort and environmental litigation related to alleged chemical exposure and contamination. We help clients:

• Trace sources of environmental contaminants
• Quantify exposure potential using fate and transport modeling
• Compare site-specific chemical fingerprints to known reference sources
• Interpret historical and current datasets in legal context
• Assess data quality and laboratory methods for admissibility
• Communicate technical findings clearly to legal teams, juries, and regulators

Our Senior Forensic Chemists and data experts are experienced expert witnesses, supporting litigation involving PCBs, PAHs, dioxins, VOCs, metals, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

We don’t just analyze data—we help build your case. Our work is grounded in robust science, tailored to legal strategy, and designed to meet the burden of proof.

Why It Matters

In environmental forensics, data alone aren’t enough—you need interpretation that stands up to legal, regulatory, and scientific scrutiny. We provide expert support that goes beyond reporting results: we help clients understand sources, quantify contributions, assess liability, and make informed decisions.

If you’re dealing with complex contamination and need clarity, our Forensic Chemistry Team is ready to help.