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CHARACTERIZATION OF FINE PARTICLE ASSOCIATED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS: INTERLABORATORY COMPARISON AND DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIALS
Citation:
Lewtas, J, M. A. Schantz, AND S. A. Wise. CHARACTERIZATION OF FINE PARTICLE ASSOCIATED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS: INTERLABORATORY COMPARISON AND DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIALS. Presented at American Association for Aerosol Research, Portland, OR, October 15-19, 2001.
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of this task is to develop and evaluate personal exposure and biomarker methods for toxic components associated with PM2.5 and SVOC in population exposures. Specific sub-objectives include the following:
1) Identification and quantification of either toxic or tracer organic chemicals associated with PM2.5 and associated SVOC.
2) Measurement of personal airborne exposure of selected toxic/tracer organic species in population based human exposure studies.
3) Development and application of urinary metabolite and other biomarker methods for these toxic/tracer organic species in human exposure studies.
4) Evaluation of multivariant receptor models for apportioning personal exposure using biomarker data.
Description:
Organic chemicals adsorbed to fine particulate matter (PM) in the ambient air account for a major component of the mass and include source tracers as well as toxic compounds that may contribute to adverse human health effects. The US EPA has established a PM 2.5 research program including aerosol characterization studies at seven sites in the US and additional exposure and health studies at PM Research Centers. A working group of investigators from these and related research programs was established to advance the quality and comparability of data on the organic composition of aerosols. This group is conducting a series of interlaboratory trials using interim reference materials. The initial trial utilized particles sieved to less than 63 microns from a bulk portion of standard reference material (SRM) 1649a, Urban Dust, and an extract of these particles. The original SRM 1649, collected in Washington, DC and issued in 1982, has recently been recertified as 1649a (Wise et al. Polycyclic Aromatic Compounds 13:419-456, 2000). The second trial will utilize PM2.5 samples recently collected in Baltimore. A new bulk PM2.5 sample will be collected from the same site for a final expanded trial and development of a new SRM for contemporary PM2.5. Results from these trials will provide the basis for improved quality assurance measures and methods for characterizing the organic matter associated with PM. The target organic analytes vary among the participants and include: alkanes (including hopanes and cholestanes), alkenes, aromatic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), nitrated PAH, sterols, carbonyl compounds (e.g., ketones and aldehydes), acids (alkanoic and resin acids), phenols, methoxy phenols, and sugars. The participating laboratories are not constrained by a specific analytical method, however the analytical methods will be reported as well as detection and quantification limits.
This work has been funded by the U S Environmental Protection Agency. It has been subjected to Agency review and approved for publication.