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EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PM 2.5 FEDERAL REFERENCE METHOD TO DIFFERENTIATE FINE AND COARSE MODE AEROSOL (A RESPONSE TO SECTION 6102(E) OF THE TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Citation:
Peters, T., J. T. Antley, R. W. Vanderpool, S. Natarajan, G A. Norris, F F. McElroy, P A. Solomon, D B. Gemmill, M P. Tolocka, AND R W. Wiener. EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PM 2.5 FEDERAL REFERENCE METHOD TO DIFFERENTIATE FINE AND COARSE MODE AEROSOL (A RESPONSE TO SECTION 6102(E) OF THE TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT FOR THE 21ST CENTURY. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-00/033 (NTIS PB2001-101909), 2000.
Impact/Purpose:
The overall objectives of this task are to provide reference methods and their associated EPA designation requirements for PM when new indicators of PM are required by OAQPS, and to provide continuous improvements to existing PM reference and equivalent methods so that national data quality objectives for PM can be met. These efforts will provide the necessary assurance that attainment determination uncertainties are at acceptable levels.
Description:
This report is submitted in response to Section 6102(e) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, which states:
"The Administrator shall conduct a field study of the ability of the PM2.5 Federal Reference Method to differentiate those particles that are larger than 2.5 micrograms [sic] in diameter. This study shall be completed and provided to the Committee on Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the United States Senate no later than 2 years from the date of enactment of this Act."
While the concern about the ability of the Federal Reference Method to function as asserted is understandable, extensive data from multiple laboratory and field tests have established that the Federal Reference Method effectively differentiates between particles larger and smaller than 2.5 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter.
Extensive laboratory tests, conducted by the U.S. EPA and independent researchers, demonstrated that the reference method primary size separation hardware, the WINS impactor, provides selection of particles less than 2.5 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter. Furthermore, these evaluations showed conclusively the ability of the WINS to eliminate coarse particle intrusion when clean and after becoming dirty during routine field use. Three intensive field studies corroborated the laboratory findings.
Additional field studies are ongoing, in which existing and new or potentially superceding fractionation technologies are being challenged against a variety of ambient environmental conditions in an effort to more fully characterize sampler behavior
Part of the research described in this report was performed under Contract 68-D5-0040 to Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC. This report has been subject to the Agency's peer and administrative review and has been approved for publication as an EPA document. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation for use.