A new field screening method was developed for determining the presence of fuels containing aromatic components, particularly diesel fuel in soils, by Western Research Institute (WRI) in cooperation with In-Situ, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Morgantown Energy Technology Center. While the Freon extraction/infrared method estimates fuel concentration by measuring aliphatic C-H stretch, approaches designed to replace this, such as the immunoassay method and the method involving a Fridel-Crafts alkylation reaction, measure the aromatic component of fuel mixtures. Both of these methods measure aromatic content indirectly with visible color development. The new method measures the aromatic components directly with absorption at 254 nm with a laboratory spectrophotometer or a field-portable photometer. It is very simple since it does not involve complicated color development steps and does not require the use of highly toxic reagents. The new method involves a three-minute extraction of soil with a 10:1 ratio of isopropyl alcohol. Prior to extraction, the soil is treated with an agent, calcium oxide, to minimize the extraction of humic materials that can interfere with the process. The extract solution is passed through a syringe filter and the absorbance is read. If the contaminant fuel is available for calibration, the approximate concentration of the fuel in the soil can be measured. If the contaminant fuel type is known but not available for calibration, an estimate of the concentration can be determined using average response factors. If the nature of the contaminant is unknown, the screening method can be used to identify the possible presence of contamination. The quantitation limit is about 75 mg/kg diesel in soil. The method has been tested with a variety of soils, fuel types, and conditions.