Ambient aerosol analysis using aerosol-time-of-flight mass spectrometry
Particulate pollution is an area of growing concern in light of recent studies which suggest a link between high concentrations of ambient PM{sub 10} (particles with diameters equal to or less than 10 {mu}m) and adverse health effects ranging from respiratory ailments to premature death. However, analytical chemistry techniques aimed at sampling and analysis of atmospheric aerosols are extremely limited in comparison to the number of methods that exist for studying gas phase smog components. As a result, current government regulations for levels of ambient particulates are necessarily general, lacking any chemical specificity. The authors have recently developed a technique, Aerosol-Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (ATOFMS), which is capable of real-time determination of the size and chemical composition of individual aerosol particles. In order to obtain such information, the techniques of aerodynamic particle sizing and time-of-flight spectrometry are combined in a single instrument. In one of the aerosol studies performed in this laboratory, this instrument is being used for the direct analysis of ambient aerosols with the goal of establishing correlations between particle size and chemical composition. To date, the authors have observed very distinct size/composition correlations for organic and inorganic particles.
- OSTI ID:
- 210564
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9505261--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Real-time analysis of ambient aerosols for size and chemical composition using aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ATOFMS)