IEA Radon_Reporter_April 2025

18 | APRIL 2025 NRPP NEWS Vapor Intrusion (VI) Mitigation Specialist Credential NRPP is developing the vapor intrusion (VI) mitigation specialist credential for qualified contractors whose work is compliant with established standards and who have met criteria for certification as defined in the Vapor Intrusion Mitigation Specialist job task analysis. NRPP needs help from those who perform/have performed or oversee/have overseen VI mitigation activities. Why a VI Mitigation Credential? Currently, the absence of a uniform approach to VI mitigation systems, as well as the lack of minimum criteria for entry into the profession or an indicator of proficiency in VI mitigation has contributed to several challenges in the VI mitigation industry across the US. The issues include unevenly applied standards, deviations from system design during construction of new structures, inadequate communication between designers, general contractors, and installers, the absence of installation documentation, and insufficient performance monitoring. It’s been reported by environmental consultants and state regulators that the lack of fundamental and consistent understanding of system requirements and quality control requirements has resulted in inadequate mitigation systems and an increased potential for sub-standard and deficient system performance, and has created challenges for diagnosing system performance and developing remedies to poor system performance. Only twenty states require compliance with standards for radon mitigation and most require compliance with the EPA- recommended ANSI-AARST standard. There is no parallel regulatory infrastructure for VI mitigation in any states, in part due to the absence of a system for determining proficiency. VI mitigation contractors can enter themarketplace and offer mitigation services having no prior training or assessment of proficiency. Environmental firms, responsible parties, and others need to be able to identify VI professionals who are knowledgeable and skilled in the reduction of chemical vapor intrusion and installation of vapor intrusion mitigation systems. NRPP is addressing this need by creating a certification program for VI mitigation specialists. The Certification Development Process NRPP’s certification development process began with a formal job task analysis (JTA) - a process by which a representative group of subject matter experts identified the essential elements of competent practice as a VI mitigation specialist. The JTA will be used to define the requirements for certification and, as such, it is critical that these elements are validated before being considered part of a certification program. NRPP is requesting feedback from current VI professionals, in the form of a survey, to learn the extent to which the tasks within the job task analysis are relevant to competent practice as a VI mitigation specialist. If you perform, have performed or oversee/have overseen VI mitigation activities, please complete this JTA survey and provide your input. It is anticipated that the VI mitigation specialist certification will be available to personnel who are both qualified to perform mitigation and knowledgeable about Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response but have not necessarily been trained or certified in radon mitigation (or measurement). Pilot testing for the VI Mitigation Specialist is expected to occur by the end of 2025.