Abstract: The method is used for locally testing underground soil contamination by determining the generation rate of a first contaminant fluid in porous soil. The method includes the steps of making a hole of known dimensions in the soil, with the hole defining a first and a second spaced-apart portions; covering the hole, so as to define a closed volume in the hole; constantly injecting a second fluid in the hole at a constant given flow rate at said first portion of the hole, while simultaneously collecting fluid samples at the above-mentioned constant given flow rate at the second portion of the hole; measuring the concentrations of the first contaminant fluid from the fluid samples collected at known time intervals; and computing the generation rate of the first contaminant fluid, from the known volume of the hole and from the concentrations previously measured and originating from samples collected at the known time intervals.

Abstract: A method for locally testing soil contamination by determining the generation rate of a contaminant fluid in porous soil, including the steps of injecting a purging fluid in the soil through a probe while simultaneously collecting fluid samples in the ground with the probe and measuring therein the contaminant concentrations, until an equilibrium is reached, i.e. until there is no variation of the contaminant fluid concentration. Afterwards, a tracer gas such as oxygen is continuously injected into the soil through the probe at a known flow rate in addition to the purging fluid, and in a small quantity relative to the second fluid, while fluid samples are collected wherein the tracer gas concentrations are measured. With the above-mentioned measured concentrations of the contaminant fluid and the tracer gas, the generation rate by the soil of the contaminant fluid may be computed.