The basic principles of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) Traceability Protocol for the Assay and Certification of Gaseous Calibration Standards (EPA, 1997) were developed jointly by EPA, the National Bureau of Standards (now National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)), and specialty gas producers over 30 years ago. At the time, commercially-prepared calibration gases were perceived as being too inaccurate and too unstable for use in calibrations and audits of continuous source emission monitors and ambient air quality monitors. The protocol was developed to improve their quality by establishing their traceability to NIST Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) and to provide reasonably priced products. This protocol established the gas metrological procedures for measurement and certification of these calibration gases for EPA's Acid Rain Program under 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 75, for the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Program under 40 CFR Part 58, and for the Source Testing Program under 40 CFR Parts 60, 61, and 68. EPA required monitoring organizations implementing these programs (the regulated community) to use EPA Protocol Gases as their calibration gases. EPA revised the protocol to establish detailed statistical procedures for estimating the total uncertainty of these gases. EPA's Acid Rain Program developed acceptance criteria for the uncertainty estimate.

Project Officer: Solomon Ricks. Includes bibliographical references. "EPA-454/R-14-005".