Impact/Purpose:

The core aerosol research for FY01 includes evaluation of newly developed and developing methods for the chemical analysis and sampling of PM in ambient air, especially state-of-the-art continuous and non-invasive aerosol measurement methods, and the study of the aerosol sampling processes to better assess the true aerosol concentration and size distributions observed in the ambient environment. An additional emphasis is placed on integrated sampling for stable and semi-volatile organic aerosol species. This latter area addresses the state-of-the-art in this measurement area. This program supports Title I of the Clean Air Act in its mandate for performing research to support the NAAQS, GPRA goal 1.1.5, and ORD's main research objective on PM.

Much of this work directly supports OAQPS and may be applied within the Supersites Program managed jointly by OAQPS and ORD. This research also will support many of ORD's long-term research goals by providing more reliable information (decrease uncertainty) on ambient aerosols that can be utilized for characterizing risk.

Finally, an APM, has been established to develop measurement methods for causal factors, due in 2004. Currently, there are a number of causal factor hypotheses, but none have sufficient evidence to support developing one measurement/analytical method over another. The PM methods team will support and work with Joellen Lewtas on methods for the collection and analysis of semi-volatile and aerosol phase organic species to help address this APM. The PM methods team will continue to work within the Supersites program and with OAQPS and their new partners in ORIA to further evaluate continuous species specific methods and aerosol physical property measurement methods.

Description:

The FRM developed by NERL forms the backbone of the EPA's national monitoring strategy. It is the measurement that defines attainment of the new standard. However, the agency has numerous other needs in assessing the physical and chemical characteristics of ambient fine particles and defining its implementation strategy. To that end, the Particulate Matter Research Methods Team (PMRMT) of AMMB&HERB/NERL is initiating several research and methods evaluation and development efforts that will help to establish the relationship of ambient aerosols to sources and to human exposure and to better understand the chemical composition of atmospheric aerosols and there spatial and temporal trends. These projects will be covered in Tasks 5674, 3909, 3917, N525 and N535.

Most current methodologies for the measurement of particulate matter and its precursor gases are time consuming, labor intensive, and prone to negative or positive interferences. Thus, the thrust of work over the next three years is to extend our current instrumental capabilities to quantify chemical species associated with PM with greater ease, reliability, reduced uncertainty, and cost-effectiveness in a timely fashion.

A major emphasis of the PMRMT will be to coordinate methods evaluations with EPA's Supersites Program by using Supersites Program platforms for comparison studies, as was done with the National EPA Chemical Speciation Samplers and the Atlanta Supersites Project and by working with Supersites Project PIs to ensure needed comparisons are performed in a comprehensive and defensible manner. The PMRMT also will work with ORIA and OAQPS in their newly established joint venture that will include PM methods research. Planning for this has already begun.

Finally, much of the research discussed here was proposed for the 00-02 planning period, but delayed due to the shifting of PM Methods Research funding to the development of the coarse particle standard sampler. As well, these tasks are written with a longer than usual completion date due to its close relationship with the PM Supersites Program, which extends out to early 2005 and perhaps beyond. This task reflects and complements work being conducted in Tasks 5675, 3909, 3917, N525 and N535.

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT

Start Date:10/01/2000

Completion Date:09/01/2001

Record ID: 15835

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Project Information:

Progress :Phase I of the chemical speciation monitor evaluation study is complete, and a final report has been submitted to OAQPS. Progress is continuing on Phase II, but funds are needed to analyze samples collected in Seattle and Atlanta for organic species, many have been analyzed for OC and EC. The 4 City study results have been presented to the PM Expert Panel, twice to CASAC, to WESTAR, at the AAAR meeting in October 1999, at PM2000 in Jan. 2000, at the SOS data analysis workshop, and at several NERL openhouses. One paper has currently been accepted in Aerosol Science and Technology for publication on the 4-City study experiment. A second is in preparation.

An IAG with Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory has been established to ascertain the performance of denuders in ambient sampling systems. Denuder testing for efficiency and capacity has occurred in Seattle and Atlanta. In Seattle, the XAD denuders were evaluated against the Carbon Impregnated Filter denuders. Sample analysis is in process, where funds are available. Plans are in place to further tests of this sampler in Houston, during the summer of 2000, in conjunction with the SOS 2000 field project.
The Automated Soluble Fraction of Particulate Matter Monitor developed by Dasgupta has been tested in Atlanta and arrived in RTP in June 2000 for additional evaluation. (See Tasks N525 and 3917).


Presentations

29 July 99 Evaluation of PM2.5 Chemical Speciation Samplers for Use in the EPA National PM2.5 Chemical Speciation Network, Presentation to CASAC of Preliminary Results

10 October 99 PM2.5 Chemical Speciation Sampler Evaluation Field Program: Results from the Four City Study
Paul A. Solomon*, William Mitchell, David Gemmill, Michael P. Tolocka, Russell Wiener, Shelly Eberly, Joanne Rice, James Homolya, and Antonio H. Miguel. Presented at the AAAR Annual Meeting, Tocoma Washington; Oct. 10-15, 1999.

25 January 00 East vs West in the US: Chemical Characteristics of PM2.5 during the Winter of 1999. Solomon, P.A., Mitchell, W., Gemmill, D., Tolocka, M.P., Suggs, J., Norris, G., Wiener, R., Homolya, J., Vanderpool, R., and Natarajan, S. PM2000, Particulate Matter and Health - The Scientific Basis for Regulatory Decision Making, Charleston, SC, Jan. 25-28, 2000

25 January 00 Methods Intercomparison of Samplers For Epa's National Pm2.5 Chemical Speciation Network. Solomon, P.A., Mitchell, W., Gemmill, D., Tolocka, M.P., Norris, G., Wiener, R., Homolya, J., Eberly, S., Rice, J., Vanderpool, R., Murdoch, R., Natarajan, S., and Hardison, E. PM2000, Particulate Matter and Health - The Scientific Basis for Regulatory Decision Making, Charleston, SC, Jan. 25-28, 2000

09-March-00 Stockburger, L. Aerosol size distribution and chemical speciation of Cornella For
Airport: Nashville 99 SOS. SOS Data Analysis Workshop 2000, RTP, NC, March 6-10, 2000.


09-March-00 Preliminary Results of EPA's Chemical Speciation Sampler Evaluation Study in Atlanta, GA During the Atlanta Supersites Project. Paul A. Solomon, Vanderpool, R., Natarajan, S., and Baumann, K. SOS Data Analysis Workshop 2000, RTP, NC, March 6-10, 2000.

09-March-00 Relative Reference Values for the Atlanta Supersites Project Methods Intercomparison Study. Paul Solomon and William Chameides. SOS Data Analysis Workshop 2000, RTP, NC, March 6-10, 2000.

09-March-00 Site Description Report: Status and Needs. Paul Solomon, Sanjay Natarajan, Eric Edgerton,William Chameides,

and Susanne Hering. SOS Data Analysis Workshop 2000, RTP, NC, March 6-10, 2000.

4 April 00 Evaluation of the US EPA National Procurement Chemical Speciation Samplers. Paul A. Solomon, William Mitchell, David Gemmill, Michael P. Tolocka, Gary Norris, Russell Wiener, Shelly Eberly, Joanne Rice, James Homolya, Robert Vanderpool, Robert Murdoch, Sanjay Natarajan. Presented at the April 18-19, 2000 CASAC Meet

Relevance :Expected Benefits

Analysis of data demonstrating semi-continuous and real-time methods for aerosol species specific concentrations will 1. Improve our ability to link sources to receptors, 2. Improve the ability to link health effects to atmospheric pollutants and thus to sources; 3. Improve our understanding of atmospheric process; 4. Reduce the use of labor intensive filter substrate methods, 5. Reduce interferences associated with collection on filters, and 6. Provide data in real-time for local alerts of high PM air pollution.

It is important to note, that where ever possible, the PMRMT will tie in with the Environmental Technology Verification Program with the EPA Supersites Program, and with the new ORIA/OAQPS initiative. The former providing additional avenues for methods evaluation by independent groups, the Supersites by providing field sites with intensive measurements in progress for evaluation against other existing methods, and the latter by providing additional resources.

Future Plans

This task ends at the end of 2001 and is replaced by a new tasks (N525 and N535) focused on evaluation and development of PM methods for causal agents or toxic PM compounds. In the new task, NERL well seek to continue to develop and maintain its expertise in aerosol sampling and method development. Future work by the PMRMT will continue to evaluate and develop new methods to better characterize ambient PM concentrations, composition, and potential causal agents and this work is likely to continue past FY01 through task N535. A new FRM, perhaps including chemical speciation or causal agents may be required for 2007. Potential methods under development that require evaluation before being included in routine networks were described above. As others are developed, consideration should be given to the evaluation of those monitors as well. In 2002, 2003, and beyond, methods evaluated or developed in the laboratory during earlier years will be field tested and compared to similar methods or historical methods in field studies, if sufficient funding is available. These field studies will likely require going to several sites as well as different seasons to evaluate the samplers under different chemical atmospheres. Field evaluations will likely be accomplished though coordination with the Supersites Program and with the ORIA/OAQPS joint venture. Methods development and evaluation for causal agents (task N535) (i.e., that is aerosol constituents or properties that are shown to cause adverse health effects) are underway through the Supersites Program, PM centers, and PMRMT, with the latter focusing on organic constituents and sulfate, nitrate, and ammonium and their precursors.



Clients :OAQPS, States

Project IDs:

ID Code :5674

Project type :OMIS