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EVALUATION OF SHORT-TERM OGAWA PASSIVE, PHOTOLYTIC, AND FEDERAL REFERENCE METHOD SAMPLING DEVICES FOR NITROGEN OXIDES IN EL PASO AND HOUSTON, TEXAS
Citation:
SATHER, M. E., E. SLONECKER, J. MATHEW, H. DAUGHTREY, AND D. D. WILLIAMS. EVALUATION OF SHORT-TERM OGAWA PASSIVE, PHOTOLYTIC, AND FEDERAL REFERENCE METHOD SAMPLING DEVICES FOR NITROGEN OXIDES IN EL PASO AND HOUSTON, TEXAS. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING. Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, Uk, , DOI:10.1039/b601113f, (2006).
Impact/Purpose:
ReVA's program objectives are to:
Provide regional-scale, spatially explicit information on the extent and distribution of both stressors and sensitive resources.
Develop and evaluate techniques to integrate information on exposure and effects so that relative risk can be assessed and management actions can be prioritized.
Predict consequences of potential environmental changes under alternative future scenarios.
Effectively communicate economic and quality of life trade-offs associated with alternative environmental policies.
Develop techniques to prioritize areas for ecological restoration.
Identify information gaps and recommend actions to improve monitoring and focus research.
Description:
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) is a common urban air pollutant that results from the combustion of fossil fuels. It causes serious human health effects, is a precursor to the formation of ground level ozone, another serious air pollutAnt, and is one of the six criteria air pollutants established by the Clean Air Act (CAA). Passive Sampling Devices (PSDs) for NO2 were collocated and operated at six NO2 Federal Reference Method (FRM) monitor locations in the El Paso, Texas area for the 2004 calendar year. Passive samples were taken at 2-week, 3-week, and 4-week intervals and compared against the continuously operating FRM monitors. Results showed that the collective NO2 annual arithmetic mean for all passive monitors was identical to the mean for all FRM monitors. Of the individual locations, three passive annual NO2 means were identical to their corresponding FRM means, and three passive annual NO2 means differed from their corresponding FRM means by only one part per billion (ppb ). Linear correlation analysis between all readings of the individual NO2 PSDs and FRM values showed an average absolute difference of 1.2 ppb with an r2 of 0.95. Paired comparison between high and low concentration annual NO2 sites, seasonal and topographic considerations, and interlab quality control comparisons all showed excellent results. The ease of deployment, reliability, and the cost- savings that can be realized with NO2 PSDs could make them an attractive alternative to FRM monitors and even possibly an equivalent method for annual NO2 monitoring. More studies are needed in different ecosystem and climate regimes.